Juan Soto is not a fan and neither were the capacity crowds at Yankee Stadium this weekend when Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider opted to bypass Aaron Judge from hitting another home run. Three intentional walks to the Yankees slugger Sunday and a bases empty intentional walk Saturday afternoon have gotten Soto’s attention.
It’s possibly a precedent for opposing managers to use the strategy and keep Judge from hitting another moonshot as he is on a pace to hit 59 home runs with 49 games remaining. The Yankees are battling the Orioles for first place in the AL East and destined for the postseason.
The Blue Jays are out of contention, and with his team building for next year, Schneider was managing strategically. It has become difficult to keep Judge off the bases. Walking him intentionally is a task to prevent him from hitting another home run and changing the complexion of a ballgame.
Judge was denied a 42nd home run Sunday as the Yankees (with a 4-3 win in 10-innings) have won eight of their last nine and took the three-game series. He hit his Major League leading 41st Saturday, a Jose Barrios sinker in the first inning that went into the visitor’s bullpen an estimated 426 feet that scored Soto.
Intentional walks have always been a part of baseball. It’s a strategy to keep a hot hitter from wrecking the game, but Judge is the 2024 version of [Babe] Ruth, [Roger] Maris, [Mickey] Mantle in a different era when managers opted to have their pitcher challenge the hitter.
Regardless, Judge draws plenty of attention and questions this strategy of Schneider going with the challenge prior to his team losing in extra innings. Was not too long ago when Barry Bonds was the king of intentional walks, and the strategy was hardly noticed.
But this is a new era and baseball is different. Walks have become common, intended or not at a rapid pace. Strategy of managing has changed with more of an analytical approach and pitchers are not providing longevity on the mound. Case in point was reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and who tossed his first career no-hitter this weekend while going nine innings for the first time.
Sunday, I posed the question to a veteran scout with a NL team about Judge and Schneider. The fact Judge is only the fourth player (Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle) in Yankees history to hit 40 home runs or more in a season three times (41 HR’s, 103 RBI, .322 BA) does change strategy.
“You can’t fault the manager,” he said. “Judge is that rare hitter who is a hard out. Baseball has changed with analytics. Strategy has changed. Does this take your team out of a game adding a free base runner, of course. And the Yankees lineup after Judge is difficult to handle. Pitch around Judge, yeah challenge him I guess.”
He mentioned how pitching has changed, so challenging Judge is difficult. Throw him a fastball in his zone and Judge won’t miss.
“How many instances does a pitcher throw more than five innings,” he said. “I would expect more of the Judge’s intentional walk. Does this change strategy, of course. But this is baseball today. Would I walk him, no. Challenge Judge. Good home run hitters also swing and miss.”
Sunday, Judge struck out swinging in the first inning against Blue Jays starter Yariel Rodriguez, who fanned him by using two sliders, the latter on a full count. So, if Judge is challenged like any other home run hitter it can be a hit or a miss. In this case of intentional walks, Schneider opted to not challenge which has opened up many questions and will other managers follow a similar strategy?
“He can flip the script of a game with one swing,” Schneider said about the call for an intentional bases empty walk Saturday. “We talk about being careful with him and that’s what can lead to mistakes when you’re trying to be really fine.”
And they have to get Judge from doing early damage.
Friday evening, the Yankees saw Judge hit a two-run home run in the first inning, his sixth in eight games and 16 in the opening frame that matched Babe Ruth (1927) for a Yankee in one season. So fans want to continue to see history being made in the Bronx. Judge said he hopes to not see the bases empty walks happen again; it brings boos from capacity crowds. and also displeasure with Soto and the Yankees. Watching a home run hitter do his magic, similar to Ruth, Maris, Mantle, and others is what fans look for.
Also, no hitter was intentionally walked with the bases empty this season. This is not common but it has grabbed attention. Then again with Soto in front of Judge in the lineup, that is also a factor.
“It sucks because you want him at the plate,” said Soto, who hit his 28th home run in the 7th inning that followed with a Judge intentional walk. “I’m doing my best to get him up and to see them pass him over really makes me mad. I don’t like that. I want them to challenge him and see what he can really do.”
The Blue Jays don’t see the Yankees again on the schedule. Other managers though could look at this Schneider tactic as a signal to walk Judge and possibly risk more damage with a runner on base. Then again, a home run from Judge with runners on base is an issue. In essence, though, the Yankees lineup that struggled in June and for a good portion of July has come back to order and is hitting on all cylinders.
The walk to Aaron Judge is a strategy. The walk intentionally with bases empty is another.
Rich Mancuso X (Twitter @Ring786) Facebook,com Rich Mancuso
.