New York Yankees rookie pitcher Randy Vazquez enjoyed a solid debut in the Bronx, pitching 4 2/3 innings while striking out six in a 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on Friday night. But Vazquez, who served up a two-run home run to Padres star Juan Soto, likely felt like he let the team down. Yankees captain Aaron Judge wasn't about to let him feel that way, though.
Judge immediately took accountability for the Yankees' loss away from the rookie and placed it squarely on his- and the rest of the hitters on the Yankees'- shoulders.
“I told him after the game, ‘It’s on us as an offense, not getting you a couple of runs when you’re going up against a lineup like that. You hold them scoreless for a while, then Soto does his thing and gets them two. I was excited to see it; we’ve got a lot of young prospects coming up that we’re going to see over the next couple of years.”
Judge told Vazquez that the loss to the Padres is on himself, as well as the rest of the Yankees hitters, for not providing enough run support to the rookie pitcher.
The Yankees captain knew that the Padres offense, armed with sluggers like Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr, to name a couple, is one of the most potent in the big leagues, despite their slow start to the season.
And New York, who had seven hits but plated just one run, simply didn't do enough to help Vazquez, the number-12 rated prospect in the Yankees' system.
Judge, showing why the Yankees gave him the responsibilities of a captain, wanted the rookie to know that.
Follow Us
Subscribe