NEW YORK (AP) — Yankees star Aaron Judge left Tuesday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, one inning after he was hit on the left pinkie by a 94.1 mph fastball from Albert Suárez.
Gritting his teeth and flexing the hand, Judge went to first base in the third inning. He was examined by an athletic trainer and remained in the game. He scored on Giancarlo Stanton’s single and then went up the tunnel toward the clubhouse.
Judge played center field in the top of the fourth inning but was lifted for pinch-hitter Trent Grisham in the bottom half.
Judge is hitting .302 and leads the major leagues with 26 homers and 64 RBIs. The 32-year-old is a five-time All-Star and was the 2022 AL MVP after hitting 62 home runs to break the AL record of 61 by Roger Maris set in 1961.
Judge missed 45 games in 2018 with a broken right wrist after he was hit by a pitch from Kansas City’s Jakob Junis.
Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts broke his left hand Sunda y when hit by a pitch from Royals pitcher Dan Altavilla and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.