New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was pulled from his game against the Baltimore Orioles early Tuesday night after taking a fastball to the hand while at the plate.
Judge was ready to bat in the third inning at Yankee Stadium when a fastball from Orioles starter Albert Suarez pierced his hands. Judge was clearly shaken at the time and jumped a little while he held his fingers, before walking toward first.
Judge remained in the game and took the field in the top of the fourth inning. At first it seemed as if he had avoided injury entirely.
But when Judge was due to come to the plate at the end of the inning, the Yankees took him out of the game. Instead, Trent Grisham pinch-hit for him.
It’s unclear how serious Judge’s injury is, however, replays of the hit don’t look great. Judge appeared to take the ball directly to his left pinky finger on the underside of the bat, and appeared to have great difficulty squeezing his hand with the trainers.
The Yankees had a 3-0 lead over the Orioles when Judge was removed from the game. They entered Tuesday night having lost three of their last four games, but with a 50-24 record and the lead in the American League East.
Judge’s injury is the second major one in recent days for the Yankees. They lost the first baseman in an awkward collision in their loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
This post will be updated with more information soon.
