Reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge is presenting a strong case for himself and a second consecutive title this year. He stands just below the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso on the home run chart for 2023 and has been proving his prowess as a hitter. While the New York Yankees and their fans are pleased to see it, rival teams are understandably not as thrilled.

The Bronx Bombers had been on a four-game winning streak and would have swept off the Seattle Mariners if not for a clever tactic. Judge made a comeback after 10 days on the injured list but is already catching up to his 2022 stats, at least where home runs are concerned. It’s something that has made him formidable and the Mariners employed a clever strategy to avoid having him on the plate.

The Mariners intentionally walk Aaron Judge, leaving fans enraged

After two great games against Seattle, the Yankees made some errors that cost them the final game. The Mariners didn’t wait to take advantage of the situation either. In the top of the ninth inning, Aaron Judge could have turned things around if he had been given the chance. But Yankees fans will never know what could have been because the Mariners intentionally walked him with two outs.

While some admitted it was a smart move, most Bronx fans were not happy with how the game went down.

Some thought Judge deserved that respect.

Some were just there to enjoy the show.

Since Anthony Rizzo was on the bench and was only willing to come to the plate in an emergency situation, Judge moved on to first base. The same thing happened last year when Judge was on the verge of making history. More than Yankees fans, it left Patty Judge, the Yankees captain’s mom, unhappy.

When Toronto Blue Jays prevented Judge from hitting a homer, Patty Judge was exasperated

The 2022 season was memorable for a lot of reasons but one of the biggest of them was Judge and his home run record. After All-Rise hit his 60th homer, the baseball world waited with bated breath for the next one. The 61st would mean Judge would stand toe-to-toe with Roger Maris at the top of the single-season home run chart.

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After some disappointing plate appearances, fans were eager to see history happen in front of them. When it seemed like an opportunity might arise in a game against the Blue Jays in September, the Toronto team intentionally walked Judge. While fans were understandably upset, so was Judge’s mom Patty, who had flown to Canada to watch her son be inked into the pages of baseball lore. Videos of the incident showed her shaking her head in frustration.

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Of course, the homer came a few days later, on September 29th.