Orioles understand Yankees’ anger over Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres plunkings: ‘Justified’

The Orioles understand the Yankees’ anger. 

After Aaron Judge’s left hand absorbed a 94 mph fastball Tuesday that required tests (which came back negative) — two innings before Gleyber Torres was drilled on the hand, too, coming away OK but in pain — the Yankees’ clubhouse was upset not because Baltimore pitchers were hand-hunting, but because they lacked command and were willing to come up and in. 

The Yankees’ indignation was “justified,” Orioles reliever Dillon Tate said. 

“Any team would get mad about that sort of thing,” Tate said. “It’s part of the game.” 

Such was the refrain from the visiting Orioles before a game Wednesday in The Bronx, where both teams were on alert about potential carryover from the night prior. 

“I think getting hit is unfortunately a terrible part of the game, and I don’t think anybody wants to see anybody get hit,” Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. “I don’t want to see their guys get hit. I don’t want to see our guys get hit. 

“When something like that happens — because it’s probably in New York, it’s a little bit bigger of a deal — but we just don’t want that to happen.” 

The Yankees did not believe that Judge (who was bruised by a 1-2 fastball from Albert Suarez) and Torres (an 0-1, 93 mph fastball from Keegan Akin) were targeted.

Rather, Judge acknowledged after the game he was “pissed” that Baltimore pitchers continued to throw high and tight. 

Judge missed 45 games in 2018 after Kansas City’s Jakob Junis broke his wrist with a fastball and was out of the starting lineup Wednesday. 

“Any time a pitch goes up and in, especially when you’re talking about Aaron, that’s always concerning, but it’s also part of the game,” manager Aaron Boone said. “You’ve got to pitch both sides of the plate. But any time a player gets knocked out because of a hit by pitch, that’s obviously a concern.

“But it’s baseball, too.” 

As was a Tuesday play that Hyde deemed “strange.”

Juan Soto, running from second base to third base on a ground ball to the left side in the first inning, collided with Orioles third baseman Jordan Westburg.

Soto was ruled out for runner interference, and Westburg soon exited the game with left hip discomfort. 

“I don’t think anybody really thought twice about it,” Tate, a former Yankees prospect, said about the play. “They were just both trying to win.” 

Westburg was out of the lineup Wednesday, but GM Mike Elias said he was confident the talented young infielder would avoid an injured list stint.