Ex-Red Sox Pitching Coach Responsible For Aaron Judge's Quiet Postseason

The Red Sox have some coaching ties to this ALDS series

Scott Neville | Oct 15, 2022

Ex-Red Sox Pitching Coach Responsible For Aaron Judge's Quiet Postseason /

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Former Boston Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis -- now with the Cleveland Guardians -- has Aaron Judge's number.

No, not No. 99 but seven, as in the number of times the hulking New York Yankees outfielder has struck out in the first two games of the American League Division Series matchup with the Guardians.

After months of watching opposing pitchers throw around Judge, Willis opted for a different strategy.

"We’re going to attack him with respect, but we are going to attack him,” Willis told New York Post's Mark W. Sanchez during Monday’s workout day in The Bronx. "I mean, we don’t want to back down from anybody, at the same time, we are not going to be stupid."

Judge has since gone 0-for-8 with the aforementioned seven strikeouts and a walk. After his fourth strikeout in Game 2, he was booed back to the dugout by Yankees fans.

The 30-year-old posted one of the best statistical seasons in Major League Baseball history but saw no love from his fanbase after two poor games, despite being in a walk year.

Judge appears to have his head on straight and not be bothered by the little things, but if he does depart from New York this winter, Red Sox fans might have Willis and his incredible pitching staff to thank for driving a wedge between Judge and the Yankees faithful.

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Published Oct 15, 2022

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu