In the seventh inning, Aaron Judge experienced his first career ejection, while Anthony Rizzo’s three-run homer sealed a four-run third inning, leading the New York Yankees to a 5-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Judge contributed with two hits, including an RBI double that kickstarted New York’s rally in the third inning. However, he was ejected by plate umpire Ryan Blakney for disputing a called third strike. Judge believed the full-count fastball by Tyler Holton was slightly outside, and he was swiftly tossed from the game after exchanging words with Blakney.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone expressed surprise at the ejection, noting that Judge usually handles such situations respectfully. Judge’s ejection marked the first time a Yankee captain had been ejected since Don Mattingly in 1994.
“I have a lot of respect for Ryan and what he does. I know their job’s tough. I’ve always had their back because it’s tough back there. So for that to happen that way, that’s what I’m most upset about, especially late in the game like that,” Judge commented.
Following his game-winning single, Rizzo extended the Yankees’ lead with a home run off Casey Mize that landed in the “Judge’s Chambers,” making it 5-1 for New York. This marked Rizzo’s fifth homer in his last 12 games since April 23.
“Mize seemed to get the pitch where he wanted, but Rizzo managed to make a better swing,” Boone commented. “He connected with it, and obviously, that’s what made the difference in the game.”
In the first inning, Giancarlo Stanton hit an RBI single, with the Yankees getting three consecutive two-out hits. The Yankees secured their second consecutive win after losing three of four games in Baltimore, during which they scored six runs.
Riley Greene hit his second leadoff homer of his career on Clarke Schmidt’s third pitch of the game. Matt Vierling followed with an RBI triple and scored on rookie Colt Keith’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. However, the Tigers suffered their 10th loss in their last 11 games at Yankee Stadium.
Schmidt (3-1) gave up a leadoff homer for the second game in a row, allowing three runs on four hits over five innings. He struck out seven batters, walked none, and faced runners on base in four innings.
