Yankees’ Aaron Judge Sees Postseason Rarity in Game 2 of ALCS

In Game 2 of the ALCS, the Guardians opted to intentionally walk Juan Soto, loading the bases for AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge in the second inning.

Oct 15, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits an RBI sacrifice fly during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game two of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This bold decision could have turned out much worse for the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees.

With one out in the second inning, Guardians’ first-year manager Stephen Vogt opted to intentionally walk Yankees slugger Juan Soto, loading the bases for AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge. Right-handed reliever Cade Smith was summoned to face Judge, resulting in the early removal of starter Tanner Bibee after just 1.1 innings. 

While the move did not lead to the double play or strikeout they hoped for, the Guardians limited the damage to one run, allowing a sacrifice fly to Judge before Smith struck out catcher Austin Wells. Cleveland ultimately fell, 6-3, placing them in a 2-0 series deficit.

According to Jeremy Frank, a baseball research and development analyst with the Chicago Cubs’ organization, this marked the first time a team intentionally walked a hitter to face that year’s eventual MVP in a postseason game since the 2012 World Series.

If Judge wins MVP:

This is the first time a team intentionally walked a hitter to face that year’s (eventual) MVP winner in a postseason game game since Drew Smyly walked Pablo Sandoval to face Buster Posey in the 8th inning of Game 2 of the 2012 World Series https://t.co/OYutesXDQf

— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) October 16, 2024

Not only was the decision surprising, but the timing was shocking as well. Frank pointed out that the only other instance of a similar scenario occurring as early as the second inning was on Oct. 5, 1970, when Minnesota walked Frank Robinson to face Boog Powell in Game 3 of the ALCS.

This comparison is fitting; Minnesota walked the future Hall of Famer Robinson, who had a .306/.398/.520 batting line that season, to pitch to another dangerous offensive threat in Powell. With two runners in scoring position, Cleveland chose to walk Soto, a 25-year-old with four All-Star appearances and a World Series ring, in hopes of setting up a potential double play for Judge.

“They were hitting the ball around the ballpark and we needed to stop the game,” Vogt said when asked about the decision postgame. “In that situation, you want to try and get a double play ball, get two outs with one pitch, and find a way to get out of that inning, and Cade did a great job of doing that.”

Stephen Vogt discusses the decision to intentionally walk Juan Soto to face Aaron Judge with the bases loaded:

"They were hitting the ball around the ballpark and we needed to stop the game" pic.twitter.com/1iTdVaCtXz

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 16, 2024

Soto batted .288/.419/.569 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs during the regular season, while Judge, 32, finished with a league-leading 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, and a .322/.458/.701 slash line.

Ultimately, Cleveland’s decision was influenced by recent playoff performance. Entering Tuesday’s game, Judge was hitting just 2-for-15 with one extra-base hit, no home runs, six walks, and six strikeouts in October. In contrast, Soto had been a consistent threat in the postseason, posting a 1.043 OPS over 17 at-bats in the first five games. Judge later hit a two-run homer in the seventh.

This was the second time in 2024 that Soto was intentionally walked to face Judge. On Aug. 14, the Chicago White Sox walked Soto with a runner on second and one out; Judge followed by hitting his 300th career home run. The only other time in Judge's career that a batter ahead of him was intentionally walked occurred in August 2016, during his first month as a big leaguer.

The series now shifts to Progressive Field in Cleveland for Game 3, following a day off on Wednesday. First pitch is set for 5:08 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Yankees lead the series 2-0 and are just two wins away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 2009.