Aaron Judge, who played as many innings for the New York Yankees as I did this postseason, sent the front office a clear message after Wednesday's ALDS loss to the Tampa Bay Rays ...
Fix it. Now.
I'm paraphrasing, of course, but I'm not far off.
RAYS SWEEP YANKEES IN ALDS AFTER CONTROVERSIAL SPECTATOR INTERFERENCE DENIES ANTHONY VOLPE'S HOMER
For those who missed it, the Judge-less Yankees were swept by the Rays in a controversial Game 3 that saw Anthony Volpe's game-tying home run get called back because of fan interference. New York would go on to lose, 4-3.
As for Judge ... he couldn't do anything about it. The Yankees superstar missed every postseason game with a right calf strain , and played just 66 games this season — a career-low, not counting the silly COVID season in 2020.
It was a lost season for Judge . A frustrating one. A contentious one, especially towards the end with manager Aaron Boone.
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And it all came to a head after Wednesday's loss:
"We're the Yankees. I feel like they [the front office] should go all-in and do what they need to do," Judge said. "If we've got holes, if it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you've got to go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here with the Yankees, to fight for a championship every single year. To go all in."
Yeah, a pretty clear message to Brian Cashman and everyone in the front office from Aaron Judge.
Essentially, "Go fix it."
Now, a couple things ...
YANKEES STAR AARON JUDGE HEADS BACK TO INJURED LIST WEEKS AFTER RETURNING FROM BROKEN RIB
Fan, by the way, were quick to point out that last one:
I could go on and on. It's a bloodbath right now on Yankees social media. Everyone is miserable.
Fans are miserable. Players are, clearly, miserable.
We've already reached the "fire Aaron Boone!" portion of the offseason, and it's not even 24 hours old yet.
These comments from Judge seem to have struck a particular nerve, though. It's one thing to make them after playing 150 games and performing in the postseason.
It's another thing to say something when you've barely seen the field since June.
All rise!