Blue Jays SP Alek Manoah Hits Aaron Judge, Nearly Incites Brawl

The pitch that hit Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge nearly incited a dugout-clearing brawl on Sunday.

With first base open in a 2–1 game on Sunday afternoon in the Bronx, Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah hit Aaron Judge with a fastball up and in.

After getting plunked, Judge gave Manoah a look and had some words for the Blue Jays starter.

Eventually, Judge began walking up the first base line and waved some of the Yankees players back to the dugout, including pitcher Gerrit Cole who walked out onto the field and began yelling in the direction of Manoah.

Aaron Judge had words for Alek Manoah and Gerrit Cole was quick to come out of the dugout pic.twitter.com/KnUDe0gjMh

— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) August 21, 2022

As mentioned on the YES Network, Manoah had been missing up and in to righties throughout the game, so on one hand the pitch that hit Judge could be viewed as unintentional.

On the other hand, Toronto was trailing 2–1, and with runners on second and third while facing the best hitter in baseball in 2022, Manoah hitting Judge with first base open could have been seen as intentional to prevent the slugger from breaking the game open.

Either way, the Yankees captured the Sunday matinee 4–2 for just their ninth win in their last 29 games. After getting off to a torrid start to 2022, New York has endured a post-All-Star Game slide that has seen them questioned as the surefire World Series contender they once were. 

• Inside The Pinstripes: Frankie Montas Takes Loss in Yankee Stadium Debut

For more New York Yankees coverage, go to Inside The Pinstripes.