Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images
Yankees-Blue Jays beef includes sticky stuff ejection, third base coach drama, and Aaron Judge’s celebrations
In the wake of Monday night’s game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays — and the escalating war of words following the Aaron Judge side eye heard around the world — baseball fans probably expected to see some strange things when the two teams squared off on Tuesday night in Toronto.
If so, the game lived up to expectations.
The Yankees won by a final score of 6-3 thanks to a two-run homer from Judge in the eighth inning, which broke a 3-3 tie after Toronto put three runs on the board of the fifth. But Judge’s 11th home run of the season, which the slugger celebrated by covering his eyes as he crossed home plate, was just part of the story Tuesday night.
The early innings were marked by both teams complaining about the positioning of base coaches. Following Judge’s side-eye moment, Toronto believed that the Yankees slugger was trying to pick up his first base coach, and not glare into the dugout as Judge explained following Monday night’s game. That led to a debate over the positioning of base coaches in the buildup to Tuesday night’s affair.
In the third inning, the Blue Jays renewed their concerns over where Yankees coaches were standing, this time taking issue with where third-base coach Luis Rojas was standing:
Prior to the game, Blue Jays manager John Schneider shared his team’s concerns about the placement of Yankees coaches with MLB.com: “It’s easy to look at a runner at second when you’re hitting. It’s tough to look into the dugout. It’s probably a little bit easier to look at a coach,” said Schneider early in the day on Tuesday. “I think that there’s boxes on the field for a reason. I think when it’s a glaring 30 feet where you’re not in that spot, you kind of put two and two together a little bit.”
Well, turnabout is fair play, because the next inning, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had his own concerns:
“It’s tired. I hope not,” Boone said after the game when asked whether ongoing discussion of positioning would continue. “It’s just silliness. It’s silliness. It’s ridiculous. I think everyone — I hope on both sides — realizes this.”
But Boone’s complaints came moments after his starting pitcher — who had retired the first nine batters he faced — was ejected. Domingo Germán was walking to the mound for the bottom of the fourth inning, and his hands were examined by first base umpire D.J. Reyburn. Other umpires came over along with Boone, and the starting pitcher was then ejected by crew chief James Hoye, who was working behind the plate Tuesday night.
“The instant I looked at his hand, it was extremely shiny and extremely sticky,” the crew chief told a pool reporter after the game. “It’s the stickiest hand I’ve ever felt. My fingers had a hard time coming off his palm.”
Germán denied that he was using any substance on his pitching hand.
“It was definitely just the rosin bag,” Germán said through an interpreter following New York’s win. “It was sweat and the rosin bag. I don’t need any extra help to grab the baseball.”
This video, taken after Germán’s ejection, led to further speculation about whether he was using a substance, or if that was tobacco dip on his uniform:
Of course, the fallout from Monday night dominated the discussion Tuesday. Judge took exception to how Blue Jays broadcasters covered his glance, stating “I’ve got some choice words about that, but I’m just going to keep that off the record.”
However Schneider was not quite buying Judge’s “dugout glare” explanation.
“I’m not in the business of buying postgame media,” the Blue Jays manager said. “It’s a really accomplished hitter who won the MVP last year. I know that he means nothing but business and wants to win. I just found it a little funny that he was worrying about his dugout while he was in the batter’s box.”
In case you are wondering, the two teams square off again Wednesday night, with first pitch at 7:07 p.m. Eastern.
