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The Herald Scotland
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Yankees' Aaron Judge has historic stats but is MLB's most humble star
He was hounded all weekend by interview requests. Everyone wanted a piece of him. The New York Yankees were on national TV every game this weekend at Dodger Stadium. It was Apple TV Friday night, Fox on Saturday, and then Sunday night on ESPN. "It's just part of the job, it's part of being captain of the Yankees," Judge told USA TODAY Sports after a 7-3 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 54,031. "I'd rather take that load and that wear and tear than somebody else. I can take some of those distractions. I've been around the game for a little bit now, so I kind of know how to manage it." The hyped series was a rematch of last year's World Series, perhaps a cruel three-day reminder of his calamity the last time they met in October. But to Judge, it was a beautiful affirmation of making the decisions of his career. "I try to talk to everyone, the guys who aren't Yankees," Judge says, "and tell them just how special this franchise is. And how special it is to play in front of these fans. "They demand and they expect the best out of you every single night. It doesn't matter if it's a Monday game, a Tuesday game, or who we're playing. They expect you to go out there and win. They expect you to go out there and get a hit every at-bat. "That's another reason why I wanted to come back and play for the Yankees. Just that expectation and that level of focus you need to have on a daily basis. It's one of a kind. So I try to tell everyone how special it is, especially at the All-Star Game. "There's nothing in the world like it." It's not easy, of course, playing on the biggest stage in baseball. Judge, 6-foot-7, 282 pounds, can barely leave his hotel on the road. He went to go grab some coffee at Starbucks in Seattle three weeks ago, and the next thing he knew, dozens of fans mobbed him at the counter. "I think if I was a little shorter, if you just give me 6-foot-1, 6-2," Judge says, "I could blend in a little bit. Throw on a Yankee cap and we can go. It's the height. The first thing they think when they see me, they think basketball player. And then they put two-and-two together. "That's why I don't leave the hotel for the most part. I got a job to do on the road. I try not to explore too much. I can do that when I retire and check out these cities. "It's just part of it when you play for the Yankees. The biggest franchise in sports. They're going to recognize you and cheer you no matter where you're at." Yet, if you make a mistake, no matter whether on the field or off, you're going to hear about it. Yankee fans constantly remind Judge that they still haven't won a World Series since 2009, and after losing to the Dodgers 4 games to 1 in last year's World Series, with most of the angst directed towards Judge. "It was rough the way it ended last year, it hurt," Judge softly says in the quiet of the Yankee clubhouse. "Things happen. It's sports. You just try to put yourself in a better position next time so you don't have that sour taste in your mouth again." The error It was back in October, in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, when the Yankees were rolling with a 5-0 lead. Ace Gerrit Cole was on the mound, and they were set to fly out the next day to Los Angeles to prepare for Game 6 of the World Series. But that never happened. Enrique Hernandez was on first base when Tommy Edman hit a fly ball to center field. Judge camped under it, took a peek towards Hernandez, and it clanked off his glove. ("I thought it was an easy out," Edman said) The next thing anyone knew, the Yankees had unraveled and the game was tied. Four innings later, the Dodgers were celebrating in the Bronx. "Stuff like that happens," Judge says. "I've just got to make the play. There were five other plays after that could have changed the course of that. Really, you kind of dismiss it right after the play happens. We still have the lead. Once the play is over with, there's nothing you can do about it. Go out and make the next play. That's what it really all comes down to." Judge spent the entire winter listening to people talk about it, the play becoming NFL memes during dropped passes, with even some Dodgers players mocking the Yankees' meltdown. "What are you going to do?" Judge says. "People want to talk about it, do this and that. It happened. It happened. There's nothing that can change that." Making history Well, Judge sure has found a way to make that memory fade away into the night, producing one of the greatest seasons in baseball history so far. He's hitting a major-league leading .391 with 21 homers, 50 RBIs and a 1.249 OPS. He's leading MLB in virtually every offensive category from on-base percentage (.485) to slugging percentage (.764) to WAR (4.7). He is the only player in modern-day history to hit 20 or more homers with this high of a batting average in the first 58 games of a season. This isn't just a two-month hot start, but a continuation of the past year, hitting .362 with a .482 on-base percentage, .746 slugging percentage, 1.228 OPS, 62 homers, 155 RBI, 139 runs, 437 total bases in his last 162 games. The last person to have at least 430 total bases in a full season was Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx in 1932. "They need to call him up," Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus says. Call him up? "Yes," Ausmus says emphatically, "to another league." When Judge his second home run Saturday night off reliever Chris Stratton in the Dodgers' 18-2 rout, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts could only shake his head. "It was more disbelief, and I felt OK with it," Roberts says. "Apologies to Stratton, but I like superstars, so I was OK giving up a solo homer right there to watch him. "It's really incredible. The batting average. I can appreciate the slug. I can appreciate the on-base. But the batting average for a right-handed hitters, that's something that really stands out to me. You just don't see that." When Judge was being interviewed on the Fox TV set Saturday, Hall of Famer David Ortiz told him: "I'm actually mad at you. You're making this game look like a joke." 'This is where I feel like I belong' Judge is being asked nearly every single day about his rarified numbers, but despite the hundreds of pre- and postgame interviews, Judge remains humble. "I try to ignore it because you have to stay in the moment," Judge says. "If I was playing somewhere else, I could say, 'Well, we're not in first place. We kind of stink. But at least I'm hitting well.' "But how I was raised, especially playing here with the Yankees, 'I don't care what you did yesterday. I don't care what you did last month. It's about what are you doing tonight.' "There have been games I had a walk-off homer the night before, but if I'm 0-for-4, then you're getting booed in your last at-bat, it kind of wakes you up about what's really important." Besides, Judge says, far too often people seem to be getting carried away, passing out superlatives as if baseball history goes back only as far as the pitch clock. You want real greatness, he says, check out Barry Bonds. You want to know the greatest right-handed hitters in the last 50 years, do yourself a favor and look at the numbers produced by Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera, particularly in the first 10 years of their career. "People bring up stuff to me about stats, and seasons, and stuff," says Judge, "and I say, 'this doesn't even compare in my mind what I saw Pujols doing at Busch Stadium... He's hitting over .300 every year, he's driving in over 100, he's hitting 30-plus homers, and all of those clutch at-bats. "Those are my favorite guys that I love going back to on YouTube and bringing up the highlights. It was just cool to see a professional hitter like that who can manipulate the bat. They had the knowledge in the box of what they're trying to do, have great approach, and just make the game look so easy." Judge laughs, knowing that, of course, is what everyone is saying about him. There will be a spot for him reserved in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium one day. His number, 99, will be permanently retired. And when Judge walks away, just like Joe DiMaggio and Derek Jeter, he can tell the world how proud he was to be a Yankee his entire career. "Sometimes it's tough to put into words," Judge says, "but I never played anywhere else. I never wanted to go anywhere else. This is where I feel I belong." The contract It wasn't long ago when Judge didn't know if he'd still be a Yankee. He rejected the Yankees' final offer of $213.5 million before the 2022 season, and they still were playing hardball after Judge hit an American League record 62 homers after the season. It took a $360 million offer from the San Francisco Giants and the concept of at least a 10-year, $400 million offer from the San Diego Padres for the Yankees to relent and sign him to a nine-year, $360 million deal. "This is where I always wanted to be, especially after getting drafted here," says Judge, who still beams talking about his wife (Samantha) and 4-month-old daughter (Nora) with Father's Day around the corner. "This is my home. But if I was to look back, and would have signed with the Padres or signed with the Giants, it could be a little different. "I might have been getting booed like [Juan] Soto, so I'm happy with my decision. "Really, for me, it was all about getting a fair deal for what I thought I was worth, while still putting the team in a good position to sign who we need to." The Yankees have done nothing but win since Judge signed his deal, and are again in first place (36-22). "I'd hate to even think about what it would be like if Aaron didn't sign with us," said Yankees president Randy Levine, watching Judge from his Yankee Stadium suite above third base. "We're very grateful he came back. He was entitled to test free agency, and we were going to do whatever it took to keep him here. "This is a very tough place to play. It's not for everybody. So, you've got to really want to be here. And he really wanted to be here." Says Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who concedes he panicked momentarily at the 2022 winter meetings when the Giants looked as if they were closing in on a deal to sign Judge: "It's so good when your best player is your best people too, and that's what Aaron is. Guys gravitate towards him. Guys look up to him. Guys respect him." The Captain Who else organizes team dinners on the road, renting out entire restaurants where he foots the entire bill? "He's an amazing human being," says Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Isaih Kiner-Falefa, who spent two years with the Yankees. "I think the coolest thing about him is that any time you're around him, he makes you feel like you're on his level, like you're the same type of player. "He brings confidence, swagger to you as a player. As a person, he's always there for you. And on top of all that, he's the best player in the world. I can't imagine how he does it all, how he juggles it all, and still perform at the level he does because he's the most selfless guy I played with." When new Yankees reliever Devin Williams struggled early in the year, it was Judge who was there at his locker every day making sure he was hanging in. When center fielder Cody Bellinger had difficulty adjusting to New York at the start of the season - like outfielder Trent Grisham the year before - Judge was there for them too. "Everybody just sees what he does on the field, and it's like, 'Man, he's the best player,'" Grisham says. "But I think he's more valuable in how he runs the clubhouse, how he carries himself, how he shoulders all of the media attention, all of pressure here, and is still able to have a smile on his face and be the bests guy in the clubhouse and taking care of everybody. He just changes this whole place." And when Paul Goldschmidt hit free agency this winter, trying to decide where to go after spending 14 years in the National League with St. Louis and Arizona, he got a text message one day. It was a recruiting pitch from Judge. "I remember shooting him the message," Judge says. "'Hey man, we got a little vacancy at first base. I think you'd fit in perfect. This is the type of culture and environment I think you were born for.' "The one thing I try to tell a lot of the guys who come here, even if they were on other teams before, they were meant to be a Yankee. Paul Goldschmidt was meant to be a Yankee." Says Goldschmidt: "Aaron is the one who makes it great to be a Yankee. He's a big reason why you want to play here." Judge's legacy It's not enough for Judge to be the heart, soul and face of the Yankees, but he's a role model for free agents in their 30s. His nine-year, $360 million contract - the richest free agent deal in baseball history at the time - looks like the biggest steal in baseball just a few years later. Juan Soto is guaranteed more than twice as much money with his $765 million deal with the Mets. Anthony Rendon, who has missed 613 games in five years with the Los Angeles Angels, is earning only $2 million less than Judge this season. Stephen Strasburg, who last pitched in 2022, is still earning $35 million - only $5 million less than Judge. Judge may be 33, but considering he's getting better each and every year, he sees no reason why he can't be just as productive until he's turning grey. He works out religiously, hired a year-round chef, and maintains his body to withstand the grind of a 162-game regular season, and hopefully, all of the way through October, too. "Tom Brady is a great example," Judge says. "Every year he tried to get a little bit better. He was still winning Super Bowls in his 40s, and doing some special things. It's all about staying on the field. "I never wanted to be a guy that was a liability. The contract that I signed, I wanted to be a guy that helps this team win all the way until the last year. ... I'll try to make adjustments and put myself up there as one of the better players that helps this team win." Well, maybe more accurately, he could be one of the greatest players, role models, and competitors who ever put on a uniform. "He's a great face for the pinstripes," Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson said before the Yankees-Dodgers series finale. "He's a great face for Major League Baseball. New York City. Everything." Says Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas: "When that thing happened to him in the World Series, we were all celebrating that we were able to score runs. But afterwards, I think we all felt for him, too. You wish it had happened to someone else. "I'm a big fan of him because he plays the game the right way. He respects not only the game itself, but he respects the people all around the game. The way he dresses, the way he approaches people, it's just different. "The game of baseball is in a better place because of him." Judge smiles when hearing the praise, picks up his bag, and heads to the Yankees' team bus for a red-eye flight back to New York. A day off with the family awaits. And then the commotion will start up all over again. "I wouldn't trade it for the world," Judge says. "I'm a Yankee." Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale
New York Post
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Aaron Judge finds it near impossible to leave his Yankees hotel room on road
Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free If you're Aaron Judge, you can forget about going out for a cup of coffee on the road. In fact, sightseeing in any baseball city the Yankees go through is off the table for the captain because he's not leaving his hotel room. Judge, 33, said in a recent interview with USA Today that he doesn't leave his lodgings when the team is on the road, and when he's tried it has turned into a headache. The slugger joked that his 6-foot-7 height gives him away anytime he sets foot out while on the road and was reminded of the hassle leaving the confines of the hotel can cause. Judge had tried to get a cup of coffee at Starbucks in Seattle when the Yankees were in the Pacific Northwest three weeks ago and found himself mobbed by fans while he was at the counter. Aaron Judge of the Yankees speaking with a Dodgers star Mookie Betts.. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect 'I think if I was a little shorter, if you just give me 6-foot-1, 6-2,' Judge said. 'I could blend in a little bit. Throw on a Yankee cap and we can go. It's the height. The first thing they think when they see me, they think basketball player. And then they put two-and-two together. 'That's why I don't leave the hotel for the most part. I got a job to do on the road. I try not to explore too much. I can do that when I retire and check out these cities. It's just part of it when you play for the Yankees. The biggest franchise in sports. They're going to recognize you and cheer you no matter where you're at.' Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) watches the flight of the ball on his second solo home run of the game in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Judge isn't likely to get a reprieve from the admiration while he's on the road. His .391 batting average is the best in the majors and his 21 home runs is third-most behind only Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Yankees' Judge shares candid moments about fame and focus
Yankees' Judge shares candid moments about fame and focus originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It had been a few months since I'd last seen Aaron Judge, my last day on the Yankees beat, in the Yankees clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. It was about 1:30 in the morning after the Yankees had just lost the 2022 American League Championship Series to the Astros. Judge — then a free agent — was shaking hands and saying goodbye to a long line of people. Advertisement Fast-forward four months. Early one morning on the street, I spotted a tall figure at the edge of a crowd. His hoodie pulled low, and I didn't recognize him at first. Then I did a double take. The way he moved, the height—something clicked. When he turned my way, I realized it was Judge. He did a double take, too. Judge smiled and then looked around to see if his cover was blown. New York Yankees right fielder Aaron JudgeCary Edmondson-Imagn Images I understood he was trying to quietly support his wife at an event without drawing attention. I smiled back, nodded, and looked away. But the buzz around me was growing. 'Is that…?' 'He's in town, looks like…' 'IT'S AARON JUDGE!' Advertisement Within minutes, pictures of Judge were going viral on social media, tipping off fans around him. He left quietly to find another spot to wait. It was awkward and uncomfortable, maybe even a little scary. That's the reality for a guy like Judge. Speaking recently to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Judge dove into it a little bit. He explained what his life is like on the road. 'I think if I was a little shorter, if you just give me 6-foot-1, 6-2,' Judge said, 'I could blend in a little bit. Throw on a Yankee cap and we can go. It's the height. The first thing they think when they see me, they think basketball player. And then they put two-and-two together.' Playing for the Yankees means people recognize him and cheer him on wherever he goes. Advertisement 'That's why I don't leave the hotel for the most part. I got a job to do on the road. I try not to explore too much. I can do that when I retire and check out these cities.' So now, Judge gets to go back home to New York City. The Yankees wrapped up their West Coast road trip Sunday night. He's back to the city where he can walk his dogs in peace and get out to the places where the people knew him before he became the face of the franchise. Related: Yankees Face Tough Rotation Decisions After $2 Million Veteran's Impressive Start Related: Yankees Win Overshadowed by Concerning Injury Update from Manager This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Plaschke: Missed chance to sweep Yankees leaves Dodgers in a precarious spot
Dodgers left fielder Andy Pages bobbles a hit by New York's DJ LeMahieu during the Dodger's 7-3 loss to the Yankees on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) The desperation of a toasted Dodger Stadium made itself abundantly clear Sunday in the fourth inning of a sunburn against the New Yankees. With mighty Yankee Aaron Judge huffing and puffing at the plate, a lone insistent chant emerged from a Dodger fan lurking in the shadows. Advertisement 'Ko-be! Ko-be! Ko-be!' Sorry. Nice try. But on this day, the Dodgers lacked all evidence of a Mamba Mentality. Coming off two inspirational wins in this three-game weekend showdown against their American League twin, the Dodgers ate the broom. A team that had finally seemed to figure out its pitching watched its ace fold. Read more: Yoshinobu Yamamoto runs into problems quickly as Yankees thwart Dodgers sweep A team whose offense had become balanced and deep could barely poke a soft-tossing journeyman utility starter who they once cut. And, yeah, a team that does everything right did bits of everything wrong, a wild throw scoring a run, a wild pitch scoring another run, and a foolish stolen base attempt costing yet another run. Advertisement In all, it resulted in a 7-3 Yankees victory that left the Dodgers facing another stark set of numbers. Baseball's most talented team is 12-10 against legitimate championship contenders. Baseball's richest team is 28-23 since starting the season 8-0. And now one of baseball's most injury-plagued teams must strap back in for a four-game series against a first-place New York Mets team that has won seven of eight. Followed by three games in hot St. Louis. Followed by three games in angry San Diego. Followed by three games against the reborn San Francisco Giants. Followed by four more games against damn San Diego. Advertisement Whew. Gulp. A little Mamba would be nice. That the Dodgers are facing this impossibly tough stretch would have made it extra sweet to sweep the Yankees, particularly coming 24 hours after beating them 18-2, and less than 48 hours after roaring back to beat them 8-5. Everyone thought this defending champion Dodger team of gargantuan expectations had finally and permanently arrived. Not so fast. 'When these guys came into town, I think we ramped up our focus, our approach, just the intensity,' said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before Sunday's game. 'And it's fortunately showed.' And then it disappeared again, which has sort of been the Dodgers issue all season, right? Advertisement 'We've got our guy going tonight,' Roberts also said, referring to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Cy Young candidate who had shut down the Yankees twice last season. 'It's going to be fun..' And then it wasn't. Roberts refused to change his positive tune afterward, maintaining, 'For us, the takeaway is, we won a series, and that was the goal coming into this weekend.' Yeah, but still... Yamamoto had his second-worst stinker as a Dodger, surpassed by only his fumble of the division series opener last season against the Padres. He gave up a career-high seven hits along with four runs in just 3 ⅔ innings, and didn't have much help. Advertisement The Yankees quickly put the Dodgers on the ropes with a messy first inning, scoring one and loading the bases on, among other jabs, two walks and a wild throw home from left fielder Andy Pages. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulls starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the game in the fourth inning against the New York Yankees on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) One inning later the Dodgers should have come back to take a 2-1 lead on Tommy Edman's homer. But on the previous pitch, Pages, perhaps trying to make up for that lousy throw, was thrown out trying to steal third despite there being only one out. One inning after that, Yamamoto went bust, walking Judge, giving up a two-run homer by Ben Rice, then yielding two singles to set up a run-scoring wild pitch. It was all pretty scary stuff for a pitching staff working on such a precarious tightrope. There's enough uncertainty in other places that the one arm they must be able to count on is the one attached to Yamamoto. Advertisement The four scheduled starters for the Mets series are Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Landon Knack. All have been both decent and struggling and the bottom line is, would you want to give the ball to any of them with your season on the line? Read more: Hernández: How Japan media track down Ohtani's home-run balls Honestly, the Dodgers need Yamamoto to be great, transforming a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon into a chilly missed opportunity. His bad day was all the Yankees needed when the Dodgers' vaunted four-man top of the lineup — minus an injured Mookie Betts — went hitless in 16 at-bats. A day after their offense banged out 21 hits, the stars can't even raise a scratch on starter Ryan Yarbrough? How does that happen? Advertisement The Dodgers should have known all about Yarbrough. They had him for parts of the last two seasons, long enough for him to receive a World Series ring but not long enough to keep them from essentially releasing him before trading him. The offensive struggles, which doomed late homers by Max Muncy and Pages, were epitomized by two middle-inning face plants. Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas tags out New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells on a stolen-base attempt in the seventh inning Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) The Dodgers put two runners on in the fifth, but a Miguel Rojas line drive to center field was caught, only briefly summoning memories of when it wasn't. Then, the top of the order couldn't get the ball out of the infield in the sixth inning, meekly disappearing on 13 pitches. Advertisement 'It's funky, it's funky,' said Will Smith of his former teammate's style, and he's not talking about a cool funky. There was some good news for the Dodgers on Sunday, Betts working out while wearing a shoe for the first time since fracturing his toe during a midnight bedroom stroll and, according to Roberts, handling the pain. This means he could be back soon and, even though he has lacked his usual offensive greatness this season, his return can't come soon enough. Betts met the media before the game to discuss it. 'Just going to the bathroom... whatever you picture, that's exactly what happened,' he said. 'I'm sure we all have fractured toes from stuff like clumsiness I guess.' Two words, Mookie. Night light. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Missed chance to sweep Yankees leaves Dodgers in a precarious spot
The desperation of a toasted Dodger Stadium made itself abundantly clear Sunday in the fourth inning of a sunburn against the New Yankees. With mighty Yankee Aaron Judge huffing and puffing at the plate, a lone insistent chant emerged from a Dodger fan lurking in the shadows. 'Ko-be! Ko-be! Ko-be!' Sorry. Nice try. But on this day, the Dodgers lacked all evidence of a Mamba Mentality. Coming off two inspirational wins in this three-game weekend showdown against their American League twin, the Dodgers ate the broom. A team that had finally seemed to figure out its pitching watched its ace fold. A team whose offense had become balanced and deep could barely poke a soft-tossing journeyman utility starter who they once cut. And, yeah, a team that does everything right did bits of everything wrong, a wild throw scoring a run, a wild pitch scoring another run, and a foolish stolen base attempt costing yet another run. In all, it resulted in a 7-3 Yankees victory that left the Dodgers facing another stark set of numbers. Baseball's most talented team is 12-10 against legitimate championship contenders. Baseball's richest team is 28-23 since starting the season 8-0. And now one of baseball's most injury-plagued teams must strap back in for a four-game series against a first-place New York Mets team that has won seven of eight. Followed by three games in hot St. Louis. Followed by three games in angry San Diego. Followed by three games against the reborn San Francisco Giants. Followed by four more games against damn San Diego. Whew. Gulp. A little Mamba would be nice. That the Dodgers are facing this impossibly tough stretch would have made it extra sweet to sweep the Yankees, particularly coming 24 hours after beating them 18-2, and less than 48 hours after roaring back to beat them 8-5. Everyone thought this defending champion Dodger team of gargantuan expectations had finally and permanently arrived. Not so fast. 'When these guys came into town, I think we ramped up our focus, our approach, just the intensity,' said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts before Sunday's game. 'And it's fortunately showed.' And then it disappeared again, which has sort of been the Dodgers issue all season, right? 'We've got our guy going tonight,' Roberts also said, referring to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a Cy Young candidate who had shut down the Yankees twice last season. 'It's going to be fun..' And then it wasn't. Roberts refused to change his positive tune afterward, maintaining, 'For us, the takeaway is, we won a series, and that was the goal coming into this weekend.' Yeah, but still... Yamamoto had his second-worst stinker as a Dodger, surpassed by only his fumble of the division series opener last season against the Padres. He gave up a career-high seven hits along with four runs in just 3 ⅔ innings, and didn't have much help. The Yankees quickly put the Dodgers on the ropes with a messy first inning, scoring one and loading the bases on, among other jabs, two walks and a wild throw home from left fielder Andy Pages. One inning later the Dodgers should have come back to take a 2-1 lead on Tommy Edman's homer. But on the previous pitch, Pages, perhaps trying to make up for that lousy throw, was thrown out trying to steal third despite there being only one out. One inning after that, Yamamoto went bust, walking Judge, giving up a two-run homer by Ben Rice, then yielding two singles to set up a run-scoring wild pitch. It was all pretty scary stuff for a pitching staff working on such a precarious tightrope. There's enough uncertainty in other places that the one arm they must be able to count on is the one attached to Yamamoto. The four scheduled starters for the Mets series are Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Landon Knack. All have been both decent and struggling and the bottom line is, would you want to give the ball to any of them with your season on the line? Honestly, the Dodgers need Yamamoto to be great, transforming a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon into a chilly missed opportunity. His bad day was all the Yankees needed when the Dodgers' vaunted four-man top of the lineup — minus an injured Mookie Betts — went hitless in 16 at-bats. A day after their offense banged out 21 hits, the stars can't even raise a scratch on starter Ryan Yarbrough? How does that happen? The Dodgers should have known all about Yarbrough. They had him for parts of the last two seasons, long enough for him to receive a World Series ring but not long enough to keep them from essentially releasing him before trading him. The offensive struggles, which doomed late homers by Max Muncy and Pages, were epitomized by two middle-inning face plants. The Dodgers put two runners on in the fifth, but a Miguel Rojas line drive to center field was caught, only briefly summoning memories of when it wasn't. Then, the top of the order couldn't get the ball out of the infield in the sixth inning, meekly disappearing on 13 pitches. 'It's funky, it's funky,' said Will Smith of his former teammate's style, and he's not talking about a cool funky. There was some good news for the Dodgers on Sunday, Betts working out while wearing a shoe for the first time since fracturing his toe during a midnight bedroom stroll and, according to Roberts, handling the pain. This means he could be back soon and, even though he has lacked his usual offensive greatness this season, his return can't come soon enough. Betts met the media before the game to discuss it. 'Just going to the bathroom... whatever you picture, that's exactly what happened,' he said. 'I'm sure we all have fractured toes from stuff like clumsiness I guess.' Two words, Mookie. Night light.
