Yankees: Mark Teixeira believes Aaron Judge’s trolling hurt Yanks

Former Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira recently said that Aaron Judge playing “New York, New York” following the Yanks’ ALDS Game 2 win was a “huge mistake.” However, Tex is ignoring the real facts of the series defeat.

Hindsight is 50/50. So it’s easy to pick out the biggest guy in the room and point blame at him for a moment gone viral on social media after the fact. That’s precisely what former Yankees slugger Mark Teixeria did on Wednesday’s episode of Get Up! on ESPN.

Following the Yanks’ 6-2 victory in Game 2 of the ALDS, Judge walked past the Red Sox clubhouse on his way out Fenway blasting Frank Sinatra’s iconic “New York, New York.” For those that aren’t aware, this is the song that plays over the Yankee Stadium PA system following every home win.

Naturally, the moment was caught on camera. Light-hearted and adored by admirers of all-things pinstriped, Teixeria, who played in New York for eight years until his retirement in 2016, believes that moment in time played a critical role in waking the “sleeping giant” that was the Red Sox offense.

"“Aaron Judge has no rings. And I have a ton of respect for Aaron Judge, I think he will have rings. But when you boast—when you wake a sleeping giant in Boston—on your way out back to Yankee Stadium and then get your butts kicked two games in a row, I just think that you might want to let your bat do the talking. Because Aaron Judge’s bat will talk.”More from Yankees NewsYankees chose worst possible player to ring in New Year on 2023 team calendarYankees make upside play, sign former Rangers top prospect outfielderMichael Kay’s Anthony Volpe story will get Yankees fans amped for Opening DayNo, Yankees should not acquire Trevor Bauer for 2023Yankees’ Marwin González replaces Red Sox LF in Japan in logical next step"

The worst defeat in Yankees postseason franchise history, two night’s later (16-1), culminated in a heart wrenching 4-3 series-ending loss on Tuesday.

Although Teixeira ultimately felt Judge’s “shade” was not the reason that the Yanks fell short of a return to the ALCS, he did say there is a time and a place for boastfulness.

"“You have players that have their play do the talking and then you have players that talk. Aaron Judge has done every single thing right his entire career. This—in the middle of a playoff series—why now? Why is now the time for you to do something like this?”"

Following Boston’s Game 4 series clincher, Alex Cora’s bunch volleyed the touche back New York’s way, blasting Sinatra’s anthem while popping champagne bottles in the away club’s locker room.

However, Judge, who only returned a week before the end of the regular season due to a chipped bone in his right wrist, which kept him out of action for almost eight weeks, was one of the few bright spots for the Yankees.

The 26-year-old (it’s wise to remember that) hit .421/.500/1.447 with three home runs in only five playoff games. Instead, blame needs to be firmly placed on the Yanks’ inability to score runs — they were outscored 31-14 in the series and managed to hit a paltry .154 (4-for-26) with runners in scoring position — which included Gleyber Torres’ Game 4 ninth-inning groundout with two men on and down by one.

Need to dig deeper? Of the four starters used, only Masahiro Tanaka pitched more than three innings (5 IP, 1 ER, 1.80 ERA). The other three men, J.A. Happ, Luis Severino and C.C. Sabathia, were so poor early in their starts that the offense was unable to scrap and claw back their way back into those respective games.

Had the Yankees inevitably won the series, Judge’s moment would have been looked at as nothing more than a rallying cry for the fanbase. Judge is 12 years younger than Tex. Though the two briefly crossed paths in 2016, they represent two completely different eras of the game.

Like it or not, Tex needs to come to terms with the new bravado of baseball — a fun brand led by a collection of young stars that will revolutionize the game and hopefully inspire the next crop of talented professionals.

Though players of yesteryear may not agree with it, they can talk on television till they’re blue in the face about the “right way to play the game.” However, when you look at the whole picture, Judge did nothing wrong. He’s only one man and his spectacular play during the postseason speaks for itself.

Chastising him is the easy way out for all the other miscues the Yankees incurred, including the mismanagement of the bullpen by manager Aaron Boone, once again.