Blue Jays pitcher Jay Jackson revealed that he was tipping his pitches during a game against the Yankees, which prompted star player Aaron Judge to glance towards the Yankees’ first-base dugout. Television cameras captured Judge’s sideways glance before he hit a 462-foot home run in the eighth inning against Jackson. The Blue Jays’ broadcasters speculated that Judge was looking for a signal, and Toronto manager John Schneider called the slugger’s glance “kind of odd.”
Jackson’s Explanation and Demotion
Jackson explained that he was tipping the pitch by having a quicker grip on fastballs than on sliders. He was aware that he was tipping his pitches after multiple members of the Blue Jays informed him and after the video guy picked something up on the difference between his slider and fastball. The Yankees have not been accused of using electronic equipment to decipher the Blue Jays’ signs, which is against Major League Baseball rules. Jackson was demoted to the minors before the next game against the Yankees.
Arguments over Coach Positioning and Judge’s Response
The Blue Jays raised the issue of where Yankees first-base coach Travis Chapman and third-base coach Luis Rojas were standing during the game, leading to a brief shouting match that involved Schneider, Rojas, Yankees manager Aaron Boone, and Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker. Deciphering an opponent’s signals without electronic equipment and relaying them to a batter is not against MLB rules. Boone found the arguments over coach positioning to be “tired” and “ridiculous.”
Judge responded to the situation by hitting a two-run blast that broke an eighth-inning tie and lifted the Yankees to a 6-3 victory. The 448-foot drive to center field broke part of a white maple leaf sign – Canada’s national symbol, and the logo for Canada’s West Jet airline, sponsor of the center-field bar area. The Yankees and Blue Jays concluded their three-game series in Toronto that night.
Leave a Reply