BOSTON — Aaron Judge took responsibility for his struggles at the plate as the New York Yankees were swept by the Boston Red Sox in a challenging three-game series.
“You’ve got to swing at strikes,” Judge confessed after an unfortunate series performance, where he managed only 1 for 12 at bat. The Red Sox clinched the sweep with a 2-0 win on Sunday. This series saw Judge striking out three or more times in three consecutive games, marking only the third instance of such a streak in his professional career.
“If you swing at strikes, it usually benefits any hitter,” Judge remarked, acknowledging that he attempted to connect with pitches that were not ideal and off the edge. Despite achieving a game-tying solo homer in the series opener on Friday, he accumulated nine strikeouts, contributing to a sweep for the first time this season. The Yankees struggled offensively, scoring only four runs across the series. This matched their lowest output in a three-game series at Fenway Park since 1916 and 1922.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora commented on the challenge of facing Judge, stating, “He’s exceptional at what he does. We utilized our fastballs correctly and got some swing-and-miss outcomes.” Cora continued, “We’ve been aggressive with him over the years. Sometimes he gets the better of us, but other times we manage well. It’s always a thrill to compete with the best, and to me, he’s the best right now.”
This series brought Judge’s league-leading batting average down to .378. However, his teammate Ben Rice expressed confidence, saying, “I don’t dwell on it. I would have him up at bat every time, even if he’s off his game. He’ll recover, no doubt.”
Judge had a crucial at-bat against Garrett Whitlock with two runners on in the eighth inning of Sunday’s game, unfortunately resulting in an inning-ending double play.
“He’s one of the greatest hitters globally,” noted Whitlock after the series. “It’s a privilege to see him play. We aimed for precise execution this weekend and partially succeeded.”