New York Yankees star Aaron Judge was ejected from Tuesday night's 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles after he took a fastball into his hand while standing at the plate.
Judge was up to bat in the third inning at Yankee Stadium when a fastball from Orioles starter Albert Suarez hit him in the hands. Judge was visibly shaken at the time, and bounced a bit while holding his fingers, then reached first.
Judge stayed in the game and took the field in the top of the fourth inning. Initially, it appeared as though he had survived the injury unscathed.
But when Judge was scheduled to come up to bat next in the bottom of the inning, the Yankees took him out of the game. Trent Grisham pinch-hit in his place.
It's unclear how serious Judge's injury is, though replays of the hit don't look good. Judge took the ball straight down the middle of the bat on his left little finger, and it looked like he was really struggling to press his hand against the trainer.
The Yankees announced that Judge would undergo further testing at a local hospital on Tuesday night and be evaluated by the team doctor. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the move to take him out of the game was only a precaution.
“We are waiting … of course, [it’s] “It's not what you want to hear,” Boone said. “It's scary, but we'll see. When the doctor gets here and examines him we'll see what we find.”
The Yankees held a 3-0 lead over the Orioles when Judge was taken out of the game. Judge entered Tuesday night with a .299 batting average with 26 home runs and 64 RBIs in 73 games, his ninth in the league.
Judge's injury is the second major one in recent days for the Yankees. They lost first baseman Anthony Rizzo for at least two months after he fractured his hand in an awkward collision during a loss to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
Despite losing Judge early, the Yankees pulled out a two-run win over the Orioles late Tuesday night. After jumping out to a 4-0 lead, Wyo Santander hit a two-run homer for the Orioles in the ninth inning. However, they got so close.
The Yankees now have a 51-24 record, good for first place in the AL East. The Orioles have lost three of their last five, and are 2.5 games behind the Yankees in the division standings.