“Took the bat out of Aaron Judge’s hands” - Yankees broadcaster blasts team’s “inexcusable” outing as Ronald Acuna Jr. destroys pinstripes in 7-3 win

The New York Yankees' first game after the All-Star break ended in a 7-3 defeat against the Atlanta Braves in the series opener at Truist Park in Atlanta on Friday night.

One of the highlights from the game was Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr.'s precise throw from right field to third base to affect a double play in the third inning.

With the Yankees trailing 3-0, Cody Bellinger struck a fly ball towards Acuna in the outfield. The All-Star outfielder's throw stopped Jorbit Vivas from reaching third and putting runners in scoring positions for Aaron Judge, who was in line to hit next.

Yankees broadcasters Michael Kay and Joe Girardi slammed the lack of hustle from Vivas and the team after the play on the YES Network.

“That can’t happen. Those are little things that cost you a chance to have Aaron Judge hit with 1st and 3rd,” Girardi said.

Kay echoed the former Yankees skipper's sentiments:

“You just took the bat out of Aaron Judge’s hands. First of all, you’re not running hard to third, then you don’t slide. As you said, perfect word, inexcusable. The Yankees have to tighten up their baserunning. This has been going on for a month now,”

Ronald Acuna Jr. also continued his excellent production at the plate, going 2-for-3 and driving in two runs with a walk and an RBI.

Yankees third baseman owns up to base running "fault"

Although the Yankees threatened a late comeback after a three-run rally in the seventh, the Braves bullpen saw out the game to give the hosts a 7-3 win. Following the loss, Jorbit Vivas owned up to his "fault."

“He’s standing there, and it looked like he wasn’t receiving the ball at all,” Vivas said. “But that’s not on him; it’s on me there to make it to that base. Acuña has a really strong arm and he can make a throw from anywhere. That’s on me. The third baseman was standing there a little bit in the way. But it’s my fault.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone defended his third baseman after his work ethic was questioned.

“Jorbit is a guy that plays his tail off,” Boone said. “He’s a hard-nosed player and he got caught up there. Obviously a situation that can’t happen.”

The Yankees are 53-44 for the season after the loss on Friday, trailing the Toronto Blue Jays by 3.0 games at the top of the AL East.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash