WATCH: Aaron Judge gives honest reaction to amuse Angels manager after intentional walks

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees have seemingly been an unstoppable force in May, and the Los Angeles Angels tried to drop the Yankees captain with a unique strategy.

The Angels intentionally walked Aaron Judge in the first inning on Wednesday. It was the first time a Yankee had been intentionally walked in the first inning in more than a decade since Robinson Cano was walked by the Washington Nationals in 2012.

Los Angeles stuck to the strategy, intentionally walking the reigning American League MVP in his second at-bat in the series finale. After being walked, Judge tipped his hat to Angels manager Ron Washington, who erupted in laughter over the Yankees captain's gesture.

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The Yankees scored on Anthony Volpe's sacrifice fly after Aaron Judge was intentionally walked in the first inning of the game. It was the only run scored in the game as the Yankees shoutout the home team for a 1-0 win to sweep the Angels in Anaheim.

Angels break Aaron Judge's hitting streak in shutout loss

The Angels' strategy against Aaron Judge seemingly paid off as the Yankees captain, who was 7-for-18 in his last five games, went hitless, ending his five-game hitting streak. However, he reached base twice in his two plate appearances.

After sweeping the Angels and making it seven wins in a row, the Yankees are set to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in a replay of last season's World Series clash. The Yankees will travel to Dodger Stadium for a three-game series starting on Friday.

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