Jazz Chisholm punishes Diamondbacks for repeating the same Aaron Judge mistake

When Yankees Captain Aaron Judge is fully locked in, there is no more scorching force in the game of baseball. The only question entering this season was how long it would take him to rev up and whether he'd be impacted whatsoever by the absence of Juan Soto.

No one in their right mind thought he'd disappear, though, and after a silent spring. Judge ignited to capture the American League's initial Player of the Week award by slamming three home runs in a game (and ignoring the Torpedo Bat).

When Judge is going this way, the only thing that can be done is to avoid him at all costs. It's not always possible; with two on and no outs in the first innings, the D-Backs had to come into his kitchen, and they got burned with a three-run shot.

But with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and a runner at second, trying to keep the Yankees' lead from swelling beyond 6-3, there was absolutely no reason for Arizona to go directly in the zone with first base open and two outs.

And yet ... there it was. The complainers about middle-middle slop had their knives and forks at the ready again Sunday, because Judge scorched another one, extending the lead and setting up a bat flip for the ages from his new partner in crime.

Yankees star Jazz Chisholm made Diamondbacks pay after they pitched to Aaron Judge with two outs

Jazz Chisholm was earnestly special in limited duty last season with the Yankees; around an injury sustained sliding into home, he hit 11 home runs in 46 games, providing the exact variety of athleticism the Yankees lacked top-to-bottom, even in a World Series season.

Now playing his natural position of second base and wielding the Torpedo, there may be no more perfect swaggering presence behind Judge who can punish opposing pitchers no matter what they choose.

Pitch to Judge? The inning likely continues in painful fashion. Walk Judge? Jazz may be lurking and preening.

The Yankees' lineup will need to continue producing like this until the rotation stabilizes. That's just the reality in which they live.

Thank goodness, though, that they have a scorching hot Judge and a lineup that can make pitchers pay, no matter which variety of mistake they make.