Aaron Judge steps in to break off wild bench-clearing Orioles-Yankees fight amid rivalry
The New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles got into a major brawl on the field Friday night, with Aaron Judge intervening to separate teammates from opposing players.
The Yankees captain, who is 6-foot-1 and weighs 300 pounds, was spotted in the middle of the bench-clearing battle in the ninth inning of his team’s 4-1 victory at Camden Yards.
The fight started after a nasty pitch from teammate and reliever Clay Holmes hit outfielder Heston Kjerstard in the head, who was at bat.
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde led the charge as he stormed onto the field after the play. The Yankees had just one out in the inning.
The trenches emptied and there was some pushing and shoving, as seen in the viral video on X.
Aaron Judge was easily recognizable in the battle between the Yankees and the Orioles because of his 6’1″ height
Benches cleared Friday after Heston Kjerstad was hit in the head by a pitch in the ninth inning
Kjerstad and the Orioles dugout react after his at-bat against the Yankees in rainy Baltimore
Hyde was ejected and Holmes grounded out and struck out to complete his 21st save.
Judge had a memorable night in the game between the AL East Division leaders, as he finally hit a home run in the third inning.
His 33rd home run, tied for the most in the majors, was his first long ball in nine games to open a three-game series.
The Yankees won for only the sixth time in their last 21 games, but it was enough to move them just one game behind league-leader Baltimore.
The Orioles have lost four straight games and are on a losing streak for the six-game home series after being defeated by the Chicago Cubs earlier this week.
Judge, 32, hit his first solo home run in nine games in the third inning to lead New York to victory
Baltimore’s batters went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, extending their three-game record in that category to 1-for-25.
Yankees starting pitcher Garrit Cole (2-1) made only his fifth start of the season after spending the first two and a half months on the injured list.
He limited Balitmore to one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and one walk in his longest start of the season.
Tommy Kahnle and Luke Weaver each worked an inning that led to Holmes. Orioles rookie Cade Povich (1-4) allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked five times, but none of those runners ended up scoring.