Yankees' Aaron Judge receives unprecedented double intentional walks

Billy Heyen

Yankees' Aaron Judge receives unprecedented double intentional walks image

Even Barry Bonds never got this treatment.

Late Wednesday night on the West Coast, Yankees superstar Aaron Judge got plate appearances in each of the first two innings. But he never saw a single pitch.

The Angels opted to intentionally walk him, twice. Four fingers up and a jog down to first.

In the first inning, first base was open with one out when the Angels intentionally walked Judge. It extended the inning in which the Yanks scored the game's only run on an Anthony Volpe sacrifice fly that plated Paul Goldschmidt.

In the second, Trent Grisham doubled with two outs to set up second and third.

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When Angels manager Ron Washington held up his four fingers, Judge looked over with a grin, and Washington cracked up himself.

"He's dangerous," Washington told reporters. "I don't know what would've happened in that game if I wouldn't have walked him those first two times. You don't mess with that. I don't care how he's swinging the bat. You don't mess with that if you don't have to."

Judge made a pair of outs in his two at bats that followed the free passes.

The 6-foot-7 superstar ended the game batting .391 with a .488 on-base percentage, .739 slugging. That adds up to a 1.227 OPS.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle