Yankees' Superstar Breaks Silence on Opponent's Strategy Against Aaron Judge

This Yankees' superstar had something to say about the strategy other teams have been using against AL MVP favorite Aaron Judge.

Aug 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates his solo home run during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays with left fielder Aaron Judge (99) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto is not a fan of how other teams have been pitching to his fellow superstar teammate.

Soto made his feelings clear towards the Toronto Blue Jays' strategy to intentionally walk Aaron Judge a total of three times on Sunday.

"It sucks. You want him at the plate," Soto said, per The Athletic's Chris Kirschner. "I'm doing my best to put him up and you see them pass him over. It just really makes me mad. I don't like that. I want them to challenge him and see what he can really do. It is what it is. It's part of the game. They're trying to win too, so you respect that."

This is nothing new for Judge, who looks like the clear favorite to win the AL MVP Award in 2024.

Although the Blue Jays did not intentionally walk the star slugger multiple times on Saturday, the game prior, they did give him a free pass with two outs and the bases empty.

"I honestly didn't feel like seeing him swing," Blue Jays manager John Schneider said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "He's in a different category, I think, than anyone else in the league. He can flip the script of a game with one swing."

According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, Judge became the first player to be intentionally walked with the bases empty in the first two innings of a game in the past 50 seasons.

After winning the first game of the series on Friday night, Toronto dropped the final two contests to the Yankees.

Judge leads the major leagues with 41 home runs and 103 RBIs through his first 111 games. The 32-year-old also has an astounding .322/.456/.701 slash line and a 1.157 OPS.

As of Sunday, Judge is the first Yankee to be intentionally walked three times in a game since it happened to Bernie Williams in September of 1999.

This likely won't be the last time that opposing teams deploy this strategy versus Judge, who has been playing like the best hitter in baseball this year.