The league’s most feared hitter was in the box. What else would the Oakland Athletics do if not intentionally walk him? It’s rather funny that Aaron Judge is coming off a rough two-week skid; still, the teams wouldn’t take a chance. Given Judge’s record—.358 average, 28 homers, and 63 RBIs—it makes sense why teams would rather take their chance with the next guy in the lineup. Well, the Yankees’ $52.5 million star gets it better.
It’s Cody Bellinger who knows and understands why the opponents would do so: “I mean, he’s the best hitter on the planet.” During the third inning, with first base open and Anthony Volpe on second, the Athletics chose to pitch to Bellinger instead of Judge.
Still, just three pitches later, the 2019 National League MVP hit a single that got Volpe home, giving the Yankees a two-run lead. Bellinger was then 3-for-9 with four RBIs across 12 plate appearances following Judge’s intentional walk.
On the other hand, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was completely taken aback by this. “Especially for me, it’s like, feel like that’s really disrespectful to walk someone in front of me — with Cody, especially the career that he’s had, to walk someone in front of him,” Chisholm said. He acknowledged, “I know it’s Judge, but still.” Chisholm somehow took this instance both personally and productively. He further added that it motivated him, seeing the way Bellinger handled it.
Well, Bellinger, for his part, hit another single in the eighth and concluded the night 2-for-4. And later, regarding the Athletics choosing to intentionally walk Aaron Judge, he said, “understandable.”
Meanwhile, manager Aaron Boone also had a say. He believes, “It’s [the] product of a good hitter that’s been around, been there and done that and doesn’t get overwhelmed or over-amped.” The Yankees dominated the Athletics by notching a 3-0 win at Yankee Stadium. For all of Judge’s league-leading 18 intentional walks, the New York Yankees are now 6-for-15 this season. Still, Chisholm is not entirely satisfied with the Yankees.
Is Jazz Chisholm Jr. unhappy with the Yankees?
We are halfway into the 2025 season. The Bronx Bombers entered the month of June as one of the best teams in the league. However, during this month, the Yankees have stumbled quite a lot. They are only 1.5 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East. The Yankees have always made sure to hold a tight grip on that lead. However, will they be able to do so if they don’t stack up consecutive wins?
After a 3-0 win against the Athletics, Chisholm expressed that he is not happy with the way the team looks right now. “I feel like we can be better…we’re a better team than we have shown,” he said. It’s not that the team is losing back-to-back; it’s the inconsistency that is concerning. They currently have a 47-34 record and a 94-win pace, which happens to be identical to last year’s figure that helped them reach the World Series after 2009. However, it’s always been the tiny miscues in their production that throw the team off its usual performance.
Meanwhile, manager Boone also shared his stance on the team. He admitted, “We have hit our bumps these last couple weeks..but overall, we have shown that we are a team to be reckoned with.”
In fact, Chisholm himself has been even consistent overall. He was on the sidelines due to an oblique injury for weeks. But after returning on June 3, across 21 games, he has maintained a slash line of .325/.384/.571 along with five home runs and 14 RBIs. Even in the recent game against the Athletics, he smashed a home run on the very first pitch. The Yankees will now go for the second game against the Athletics on Saturday. Let’s see if the team maintains the winning spirit.
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