Rangers Manager Tony Beasley on Aaron Judge’s 62nd Homer: 'He Earned It'
In this story:
Texas Rangers interim manager Tony Beasley made it clear going into the series with the New York Yankees that he had no intention of pitching around Aaron Judge in his pursuit for the American League single-season home run record.
The Rangers’ luck ran out in the top of the first inning of the third game of the series on Tuesday night. Judge hit the home run to lead off the second game of a doubleheader off a 1-1 offering from Rangers starter Jesus Tinoco. It was his 62nd home run of the season.
Tinoco didn’t know he was going to start the game until after the first game of the doubleheader ended.
Beasley certainly wasn’t happy that Judge claimed the AL record against the Rangers. But he showed his respect to Judge after the game.
“He earned it,” Beasley said. “He got a pitch that he could hit and he hit the homer, so hat’s off. Obviously, it’s against us in a game so we’re not ecstatic about it. But we have time to look back over it and reflect and it’s a huge moment in baseball. What he’s accomplished this year is something amazing and you have to respect that. Hat’s off to him.”
Judge was sitting on 61 home runs as the Yankees hit town on Monday for a four-game set with the Rangers to end the season. He went without a home run in the first two games of the series, including the opener of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Judge left the game in the bottom of the second inning in an effort to get him some rest.
With the home run on Tuesday night, he passed Roger Maris for the single-season American League record.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
Catch up with Inside the Rangers on Facebook and Twitter.
