A bad injury day got much worse for the Yankees on Tuesday, when Aaron Judge left their game against the Orioles after being drilled in the left hand by a pitch in the bottom of the third.
Judge initially stayed in the game and scored after getting hit by a 94 mph four-seam fastball from Baltimore right-hander Albert Suarez.
Judge grimaced in pain and, visibly upset, initially appeared to take some steps toward Suarez.
But Judge made his way to first and was tended to by trainer Tim Lentych, who made sure Judge could squeeze his hand to ensure it wasn’t broken.
Judge remained in the game and went to first.
He moved to third on Alex Verdugo’s single to right and scored on a Giancarlo Stanton base hit that gave the Yankees a 2-0 lead.
Upon leaving the field, Judge immediately went down the tunnel of the Yankees’ dugout, followed by bench coach Brad Ausmus, who was filling in as manager for Aaron Boone while the skipper attended his son’s high school graduation, but he was still in center for the top of the fourth.
Things took an ominous turn in the bottom of the inning, though, when Judge was removed for pinch-hitter Trent Grisham.
Judge’s torrid play since a shaky first few weeks has been the key to the Yankees’ terrific start to the season and put him at the front of the AL MVP race.
That could hit a road bump with Tuesday’s injury.