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Mets’ Aaron Judge free-pass strategy pays off in win
NY Post
In his first four plate appearances, Aaron Judge saw a total of two strikes.
In his fifth plate appearance, the Yankees captain swung the bat once.
That one time — a foul ball on a middle-of-the-plate changeup — probably represented the Yankees’ best chance at stealing a Subway Series game.
Jose Quintana and the relievers behind him navigated around Judge four times before pitching right through him in the deciding ninth inning of a 3-2 Mets win in The Bronx on Tuesday, when the Yankees’ lineup once again was exposed as thinner than wire.
“We’ve seen some teams take that approach,” manager Aaron Boone said after Judge reached base in four of five plate appearances in what qualified as a disappointing game. “Look, we’ll get that middle of the order more settled in the coming days, too, and that changes the equation a little bit.”
Everywhere but No. 2 and No. 3 is unsettled.