New York Yankees Star Aaron Judge Draws Historic Bases-Empty Intentional Walk

The Toronto Blue Jays decided they would rather intentionally walk Aaron Judge with two outs and the bases empty than give the New York Yankees slugger a chance to hit another home run.

Aug 3, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) celebrates his two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays with right fielder Juan Soto (22) during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Judge opened Saturday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays with a bang, crushing a 426-foot, two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.

When the New York Yankees superstar stepped up to the plate again in the second, Blue Jays manger John Schneider did the one thing he could do to make sure Judge didn't go yard again. With two outs and nobody on, Schneider had José Berríos intentionally walk Judge.

According to Codify Baseball, it was the first instance of an MLB batter getting intentionally walked with two outs and no one on base in the first two innings of a game in over 50 years.

This is the 1st time in over 50 years that an MLB batter has been intentionally walked with two outs and no one on base in the first two innings of a game. 😮 https://t.co/NDzVKwML8d

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) August 3, 2024

The decision paid off, too. Catcher Austin Wells singled to move Judge over to second, but Berríos escaped the two-man jam by striking out second baseman Gleyber Torres on four pitches.

Judge's next at-bat came in the fourth inning, when there were once again two outs and nobody aboard. While the slugger worked his way to a full count, it was Berríos who came out on top with a strikeout.

In 2022, Judge was intentionally walked once every 37 plate appearances. That rate dropped to once every 51 plate appearances in 2023, and it has fallen even further to once every 62 plate appearances here in 2024.

Judge is no less dangerous of a batter, though, as he currently leads the league with 41 home runs, 103 RBI and a 1.154 OPS with 50 games left in the regular season. The six-time All-Star is now on pace for 59 home runs, just shy the record-breaking 62 homers he hit in 2022 en route to AL MVP honors.

In 119 career games against the Blue Jays, the 32-year-old Judge is a .296 hitter with 38 home runs, 83 RBI and a 1.003 OPS. Toronto has now intentionally walked Judge 10 times, more than any other team since he made his MLB debut in 2016.

The Yankees, whose much-needed five-game winning streak came to an end at the hands of the Blue Jays on Friday, went on to win 8-3.

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