Just days after Mookie Betts went down after being hit by a pitch, the New York Yankees had their own scare with Aaron Judge. The Yankees’ rivalry with the Baltimore Orioles is slowly but surely getting heated up. Though the O’s have always had some disdain for the Pinstripes, this is the first time in a long while that they’re competing on equal grounds. Perhaps that’s why when Aaron Judge was hit by a pitch the Yankee Stadium immediately became a tense place.

In a game in which the Yankees comfortably won 4-2, the major talking point was the aggressive pitching by both sides. Initially, in the 4th inning, Albert Suarez’s 94 mph fastball hit Judge’s left hand.  The Yankees captain was visibly furious but contained his anger. However, that pitch forced Aaron Judge to leave in the 4th inning. Suddenly nervous energy filled the Yankee Stadium. Could All Rise be falling to an injury?

The captain immediately underwent CT Scans and X-rays. Finally, Aaron Judge broke the good news. “Feeling better after I got some good news,” Judge said. “Just X-Ray, CT Scans negative, everything is fine.” Those words allowed the entire Yankee Nation to heap a huge sigh of relief. 

That relief became even bigger when Judge shared that he might not have to miss any game. That’s a big development in a series against the biggest league rivals. However, the pitch “pissed” the Yankees off. “Our captain got hit. We don’t take what happened lightly,” Alex Verdugo said. “We’re none too please about it.”

However, that was the tip of the iceberg. This was an intense matchup between two rivals and it lived up to that tag. With Gerrit Cole set to make his season debut today, things are only going to get more exciting.

The great rivalry between the Orioles and Yankees

The O’s denied intentionally hitting Aaron Judge. However, the Yankees couldn’t believe it. Especially because in 5th inning, Gleyber Torres’ hand too received a similar pitch. That led to almost the entire Bronx Bombers squad standing up in the dugout and yelling at the O’s bench. Later the Pinstripes’ starter Nestor Cortes narrowly brushed Gunnar Henderson’s hand with a high fastball.

“Pitcher’s been trying to work up and in recently. Just a competitive pitch,” Henderson said about the pitching per New York Post. “I didn’t really think anything of it.” The O’s also seemingly understood the Yankees’ frustration. “Any team would get mad about that sort of thing, it’s part of the game,” said their reliever Dillon Tate.  However, their manager Brandon Hyde also noted that because it happened in New York, it’s being seen as a “bigger deal.” 

But whatever the case, this series is off to a terrific start. The heat is only going to get higher as tensions continue to build. There’s a high chance that these two teams will be no.1 and no.2 in AL. And that certainly calls for an electric contest. Will Gerrit Cole’s debut turn out to be a memorable one for him? Or will the Baltimore Orioles find a way to ruin the Bronx Bombers’ party?