This whole Aaron Judge side-eye “OMG HE’S STEALING SIGNS BEFORE HITTING A HOME RUN, HOW DARE HE?” thing is just plain silly.
But: Judge’s denial, mentioning that it was simply him looking over at his teammates — he said they were shouting at the home plate ump after Aaron Boone got ejected — feels a little weird.
And that’s where Will Middlebrooks comes in. The former third baseman is now a NESN analyst, and he tweeted some intriguing stuff: He noted that Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk had his right leg WIDE open while giving signs, so perhaps Judge was glancing at the first base coach to see what might be coming.
And that’s perfectly legal!
Notice how open Kirk’s right knee/leg is when he gives signs. The 1st base coach can easily pick these signs. This isn’t cheating… this is part of the game. Either use PitchCom or hide your signs better. https://t.co/eOcC46vfYv
— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) May 16, 2023
Also to be noted… this was Jackson’s 6th slider of the at bat. He’s 65% slider usage. Judge definitely had a good idea how he’d be attacked and the last one was middle of the plate.
— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) May 16, 2023
Re read the tweet. The first base coach has the best angle to see them… I’d guess he is the one relaying the sign.
— Will Middlebrooks (@middlebrooks) May 16, 2023
End of story. Maybe Kirk has to learn to hide his signs more.