New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge still must be feeling the sting of failing to capture the gold for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.
Judge bombed on the Yankees’ Opening Day tilt against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday night.
Aaron Judge made the wrong kind of history against the Giants
Judge went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts. According to Yahoo Sports, he’s the third Yankee to log four strikeouts on Opening Day. ESPN Insights noted he had zero four-strikeout games last season. Ouch.
But it wasn’t all bad for New York. Judge’s struggles allowed the Yankees to assess whether their lineup can step up when their marquee star is struggling. And on Wednesday night, it did that.
How other Yankees stepped up
The Yankees erupted in the top of the second inning. Shortstop Jose Caballero singled to left field, sending designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton home. Third baseman Ryan McMahon subsequently singled to center field, sending Caballero and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. home. Right fielder Trent Grisham capped off the offensive outburst with a triple to center field, sending McMahon and catcher Austin Wells home, giving the Yankees a 5-0 lead.
New York coasted after the five-run inning, securing a 7-0 win to start the season 1-0. General manager Brian Cashman might be feeling validated after the victory.
The GM faced heavy criticism throughout the offseason for not being more aggressive. His only notable moves were retaining Grisham and left fielder Cody Bellinger. Cashman, however, insists he’s fielding a World Series-caliber roster.
“I’ve been openly willing to challenge anybody who says that we don’t have a championship-caliber roster or team. It’s our job to find ways to make it better along the way,” he said in January, via ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Cashman shouldn’t be saying “see, I told you so” yet. The Giants hired Tony Vitello, a former head coach for the Tennessee Volunteers, as manager this offseason in an unprecedented move. It’s still early, but judging by Opening Day, that experiment may be doomed to failure.
The Yankees, though, at least know they can win one game with Judge struggling. Now, whether they can win 161 is another question, but they probably won’t have to answer it. He won his third American League MVP last season after hitting 53 home runs in 152 regular-season games. So, the outfielder should eventually find his groove.
