Angels manager Ron Washington wasted little time in taking the bat out of Aaron Judge’s hands in Wednesday’s series finale against the Yankees, and the two shared a hysterical moment after Judge was intentionally walked twice.
The Yankee captain was given the free pass by Washington twice in his first two at-bats, each time with a runner on base, as the Halos skipper elected to face anyone but Judge, who has been hovering around .400 and flirting with a Triple Crown a third of the way through the season.
The second intentional walk loaded the bases for the Yankees in the second inning, and Judge tipped his cap towards the Angels dugout, where Washington erupted in laughter at the sight of it.
The clip quickly made its rounds on social media, as Washington’s priceless reaction to Judge’s acknowledgement was a comical response to what had become a wide-ranging question across the league: when will teams stop pitching to the seemingly unstoppable Judge?
The second free pass worked out, as Cody Bellinger flied out with the bases loaded to end the threat, but the Yanks scratched across a run after the first Judge free pass, and it was all they would need in a 1-0 win to complete the sweep.
Judge is hitting .395 with 18 home runs, 47 RBI, and a staggering .488 OBP, which was helped along by Washington holding up the four fingers twice in Judge’s first two at-bats on Wednesday night.