Aaron Judge's response to boos should quiet Yankees haters looking for fuel

Back in 2022, the baseball community really started to come after New York Yankees fans because they boo'ed Aaron Judge in the ALCS. Look, do we endorse booing franchise players coming off an MVP, 62-homer season? No.

But what choice do you leave the masses when you bat .063 with a .180 OPS and four strikeouts after getting swept by the Houston Astros at home? Yankees fans weren't necessarily booing Judge directly -- they were booing the result. And the result was horrendous.

The Yankees dropped Games 3 and 4 at home and scored a total of nine runs across four games. If the critics thought Judge was the lone target of the groans, then they were just looking for an argument.

In 2024, they might actually have an argument, though. Yankee Stadium booed Judge this past Saturday on his bobblehead day because of his horrific start of the season. The Yankees got shut out and lost the John Sterling game in embarrassing fashion, with Judge going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

The man is trying to work through his early-season struggles at the moment, but man, he's hitting .174 with a .645 OPS and 31 strikeouts in 104 plate appearances. He has just eight extra-base hits. He's grounded into a league-leading six double plays. It doesn't matter who you are -- those kinds of numbers are not impervious to criticism in New York.

Aaron Judge's response to boos should quiet Yankees haters looking for fuel

And Judge understands that, which should silence any Yankees haters looking to start a non-existent debate. Funny how those same fans act as if they've never been mad at their own players, especially the most influential ones. Get a grip.

After the game, Judge said, “I’ve heard worse and I’d probably be doing the same thing in their situation." There's a reason the man opted to stay in the Bronx long-term instead of bolting elsewhere. He respects the passion and dedication of the fanbase, even when the reactions are negative.

Now, do Yankees fans take it too far from time to time? Absolutely. The Isiah Kiner-Falefa disrespect was a prime example of that. But this isn't one of those instances.

Would we agree that this is perhaps an exaggerated reaction when the team is 15-8 in the third week of April? Absolutely. But it's nothing beyond fans wanting more out of their franchise player, who is among the highest-paid talents in the league.

Judge knows he needs to be better. He didn't exactly need a reminder from the (mostly) know-nothings in the stands, but any kick in the rear end likely helps.