New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge Makes Honest Statement Before ALDS vs. Rays

The New York Yankees advanced to the American League Division Series after sweeping the Boston Red Sox 2-0 in the American League Wild Card Series. The Yankees will play the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS. Yankees star Aaron Judge wasn’t on the Wild Card roster due to a calf strain. Before the ALDS, which will begin on Saturday, Judge made an honest statement.

New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge Drops Honest Quote Before ALDS vs. Rays

“It’s tough to go up against world champs like the Knicks and the run they went on, it was so incredible with the ups & downs,” Judge said to The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor. “But I got a lot of faith in these guys, man. We’ve got a special group here with a lot of grit.”

The Yankees absolutely dominated the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, winning 9-0 in Game 1 on Tuesday and 9-2 in Game 2 on Wednesday.

Looking at Aaron Judge

The Yankees placed Judge on the injured list on Sept. 19 with a right calf strain. Judge missed most of the season with a right rib stress fracture, landing him on the IL on June 2. New York activated him on Sept. 7. Before being placed on the IL in June, Judge hit .248/.375/.533 with 17 home runs and 38 RBI over 59 games this season. Judge struggled after returning from the IL in Sept., hitting just .190/.227/.333 with one home run and three RBI over six games before landing on the IL again. Since making his MLB debut in 2016, Judge has slashed 291/.410/.610 with 386 home runs and 871 RBI. Judge has won three AL MVP Awards throughout his career.

Looking at the Rays-Yankees ALDS

Here is the Yankees-Rays ALDS schedule:

• Game 1: 6:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Oct. 3, @ Tropicana Field
• Game 2: 8:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, Oct. 5, @ Tropicana Field
• Game 3: TBD on Wednesday, Oct. 7, @ Yankee Stadium
• Game 4 (if necessary): TBD on Thursday, Oct. 8, @ Yankee Stadium
• Game 5 (if necessary): TBD on Saturday, Oct. 10, @ Tropicana Field

All of the games will be available to watch on TBS and HBO Max. The winner of the Yankees-Rays series will play the winner of the ALDS between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series. The Rays finished the season with the best record in the American League at 98-64. The Yankees ended the regular season 4 1/2 games behind the Rays for first place in the division. The Rays won seven of 13 games against the Yankees this season. However, the Yankees won three of four games in their last series with the Rays.