Jay Jackson, the pitcher who Aaron Judge took (very) deep during Monday’s controversial at-bat, spoke with Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and seemingly cleared up what exactly happened when Judge was peeking towards first base while in the box against Jackson.
Turns out, Jackson was tipping his pitches.
“From what I was told, I was kind of tipping the pitch,” Jackson told Rosenthal. “It was my grip when I was coming behind my ear. It was the time it was taking me from my set position, from my glove coming from my head to my hip. On fastballs, I was kind of doing it quicker than on sliders. They were kind of picking up on it.”
Jackson, who was optioned to Triple-A after Judge blasted a 462-foot home run on what was a sixth straight slider, could only tip his cap to the Yanks for catching a tell that he should have been more diligent in masking during his appearance.
“If they knew it was coming and he clipped me, he clipped me,” Jackson said. “I’m glad he hit it as far as he did.”
So, in all likelihood, Judge was peeking at first base coach Travis Chapman, who could have been trying to relay what Jackson’s tell was, which is a perfectly legal play on the diamond.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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