Intentional walks can be an effective baseball strategy, but exceptional hitters may dislike them. Still, all that matters in baseball is your team’s victory, as the New York Yankees demonstrated when they defeated the Texas Rangers 8-7 in a Sunday thriller. During the game, the Rangers intentionally walked superstar batter Aaron Judge for the sixth time in eight games and the 13th overall this season. However, Giancarlo Stanton launched a three-run homer following a fifth-inning walk, Juan Soto had two, and Judge hit his MLB-best 42nd home run to secure the victory.
“It’s part of the game,” Stanton remarked of teams’ continued practice of intentionally walking Aaron Judge. “He’s an all-around talent. So it happens. I got to do what happened today to prevent it from happening again. It is part of the game. “You have some fun with it.”
Meanwhile, the power batter agreed with his teammates. Last week, the Toronto Blue Jays walked Judge three times in a defeat to the Yankees.
“I get on base, and hopefully the guys behind me do their thing, and today it worked out,” he stated after the game.
The Yankees’ performance
With this victory, the Yankees reclaimed top place in the American League East, tying the Baltimore Orioles with a 70-49 record. Aside from reaching a personal MLB milestone, Aaron Judge also reached base four times against the Rangers, making it his 41st time doing so this season.
Similarly, Giancarlo Stanton recorded a season-high four RBI and homered in consecutive games for the first time since June 11-12 against the Kansas City Royals. This performance occurred nine games after Stanton returned from a hamstring injury that kept him out for 28 games. Stanton also hit his 20th home run in this game, the 13th in his 15-year career.
Meanwhile, outfielder Juan Soto blasted his first home run against Andrew Heaney and his second off Andrew Chafin, helping him reach 30 home runs for the third time in his MLB career.
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