The Athletics decided to walk New York Yankees Aaron Judge in hopes of avoiding getting beaten by the slugger.
In the third inning Friday, with Anthony Volpe on second and first base open, the team opted to take on the 2019 National League MVP rather than the 2022 and 2024 American League MVP, who is also the overwhelming favorite to win the award again this year.
After Judge was intentionally walked, Cody Bellinger delivered three pitches later, driving home Volpe with a single to give the Yankees a two-run lead. Bellinger is now 3-for-9 with four RBIs in 12 plate appearances in these situations.
Aaron Boone’s Comments on Cody Bellinger’s Performance
After the Yankees’ 3-0 win, Aaron Boone was asked about Cody Bellinger going 6-for-15 in at-bats following intentional walks to Aaron Judge. He responded:
“It’s [the] product of a good hitter that’s been around, been there and done that and doesn’t get overwhelmed or over-amped.
“Sometimes, you want to show so bad in those situations. That can get you into some trouble. He seems to manage that really well.”
Aaron Boone was asked about Cody Bellinger being 6-for-15 after Aaron Judge was intentionally walked before him
“It’s a product of a good hitter who’s been around” pic.twitter.com/XnSWFq9Wuo
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 28, 2025
Following Judge’s MLB-high 18 intentional walks in 2025, the Yankees have gone 6-for-15 overall in those situations. Bellinger, who added another single in the seventh inning to cap a 2-for-4 night, has hit three singles and a sacrifice fly in those scenarios this season.
Ben Rice hit an RBI double in one of his two opportunities, while Jazz Chisholm Jr., who said he believes those circumstances give “a lot of added motivation,” has gone 2-for-4 with a homer and a single.
With Judge’s .358 average, 28 home runs, and 63 RBIs, those walks will only continue through the second half of the regular season. Judge is still on pace to surpass the 21 intentional walks he received during the regular season and playoffs last year, which was a career record.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Vote’s First Phase Is Over
Two great sluggers have formally punched their tickets while the field of possible starting position players has shrunk.
The results were revealed on MLB Network Thursday evening after over 11 million votes were submitted before polls closed at noon ET Thursday. After tallying all the votes, Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers were the league’s top vote-getters.
This is the third time Judge has been MLB’s top vote-getter and the fourth time he has paced the American League in voting. Even though his bat has been relatively quiet in June, he still has an outrageous .361/.461/.719 slash line with 28 homers in 80 games.
Now the voting moves into Phase 2. The top two Phase 1 finishers at each position (except NL designated hitter) and the top six outfielders advance. However, because Judge has already locked up one AL outfield spot, only the next four finishers at that position will compete for the final two spots alongside him.