Aaron Judge's Peek Into Dugout Believed To Be Due To Blue Jays Tipping Pitches: Report
Toronto Blue Jays broadcasters on Monday night caught Aaron Judge giving a suspicious peek into his own dugout during an at-bat which eventually resulted in a 462-foot home run.
After the game, the New York Yankees slugger was questioned about it, but he shrugged it off, saying he was "trying to see who was chirping in the dugout."
However, Judge's sentiments are bull, the Blue Jays reportedly think.
According to ESPN, the Blue Jays think relief pitcher Jay Jackson, or catcher Alejandro Kirk, may have been tipping pitches, which the Yankees took notice of. So, Judge was looking into the dugout to find out what pitch was coming.
Aaron Judge. (Getty Images)
Color commentator Buck Martinez said Judge's side-eye was "really, really unusual."
"You don’t want to go throwing allegations around without knowing, but…" added play-by-play announcer Dan Schulman.
Judge Says He Heard Chirping From Yankees Dugout
But Judge said he didn't appreciate the loud noises he was apparently hearing from his bench.
"A lot of chirping from our dugout, which I really didn’t like in the situation where it’s a 6-0 game and I know got tossed," he told reporters. "I was trying to save Boonie by calling time out like, ‘Hey, hold up here. Let me work here.’ I was kinda trying to see who was chirping in the dugout. 6-0, Boonie got tossed, so let’s go to work now."
The Yankees were fined $100,000 in 2017 for violating rules amid sign-stealing in 2015 and 2016, which included using the dugout phone and replay room to relay signs to each other.
The debate of sign-stealing is forever old and has grown ever since the Houston Astros' scandal of 2017. However, it's been the common opinion that as long as a team is receiving no outside help to decipher signs, it's fair game.
Aaron Judge. (Getty Images)
The Yankees won the game, 7-4, and have now won six of their last eight thanks to the defending AL MVP and AL home run king hitting .364 with a 1.455 OPS in his last six contests.
The Blue Jays and Yankees square off again Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET.