Aaron Judge. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees superstar leaves game after being hit on hand by pitch

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Jun 18, 2024 11:59 PM ET

This is not what the New York Yankees wanted to see in their huge American League East series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night.

Superstar outfielder Aaron Judge had to leave the game after he was hit by a pitch in his third-inning at-bat. The pitch appeared to get him on his hand, and was very similar to the play that knocked Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts out of the lineup for several weeks.

Judge initially remained in the game to run the bases and play the field, but he was eventually lifted for Trent Grisham in the bottom of the fourth inning when his spot was due in the lineup.

This is the play on which Judge was hit.

Aaron Judge exited tonight's game after getting hit in the hand by a pitch pic.twitter.com/XRUWSDRsrD
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) June 19, 2024

Judge is not only the Yankees captain and best player, but he is also leading the league in most major offensive categories and has emerged as the leading contender for the AL MVP award.

He and offseason acquisition Juan Soto have formed one of the most dominant 1-2 punches baseball has seen in decades and have helped turn the Yankees into a legitimate World Series contender.

"X-rays, CT scans came back negative. We're in a good spot. A big relief," Judge told reporters after the game, per SNY Yankees.

The team cannot afford to lose him for any stretch of games, especially given how close the AL East race is with the Orioles.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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