Aaron Judge on Astros' Punishment: 'I Thought It Was a Little Weak'

"I thought it was a little weak for a player-driven scheme," Aaron Judge said of the Astros players' punishment for their sign-stealing scandal.

Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge did not hold back in expressing his frustration over MLB's decision to not punish Houston Astros players following their sign-stealing scandal.

"I wasn't a fan of the punishment," Judge told reporters on Tuesday. "I thought it was a little weak for a player-driven scheme."

Judge joins a growing group of players who have sounded off on the league giving Astros players immunity in exchange for their testimony. MLB suspended manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow through the 2020 season, and team owner Jim Crane subsequently fired them. 

When asked if the Astros should be stripped of their 2017 World Series title, Judge said Houston didn't earn it the right way.

"I just don't think it holds any value. You cheated," he said. "It wasn't earned. That's how I feel. It wasn't earned the way of playing the game right."

"I just don't think it holds any value. You cheated, you didn't earn it."

Aaron Judge weighs in on the Astros' 2017 title 👀

(via @snyyankees) pic.twitter.com/Q3F3BqLZiN

— SI MLB (@si_mlb) February 18, 2020

Judge is entering his fourth season with the New York Yankees, who will first face the Astros in the 2020 regular season during a three-game homestand in May in Houston. New York lost the American League Championship Series to the Astros in 2017, the season they were found to use a trash-can banging scheme to alert batters of incoming pitches. The Astros went on to defeat the Dodgers in seven games in the World Series.

Houston also beat the Yankees in the 2019 ALCS to advance to the World Series but lost to the Washington Nationals.

More From InsideThePinstripes:

Mike Tauchman "Extremely Motivated" to Replicate Last Season's Breakout Performance 

Yankees' Gleyber Torres Bashes Astros, Believed They Cheated in 2019