Ex-Mets GM flabergasted by Yankees fans booing Aaron Judge originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The boos were faint, but they were there.
As Aaron Judge struck out for the third time Tuesday night, some fans at Yankee Stadium let him hear it. It came during t a 4–0 loss to the Angels. The Yankees s fifth straight defeat and third consecutive shutout.
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The frustration was understandable. The target wasn’t.
Granted, Judge isn’t hitting right now.
He’s struck out 12 times over his last five games and is 2-for-19 during the Yankees’ worst offensive stretch of the season. But he still entered Tuesday’s game batting .377 with an MLB-best 26 home runs and 64 RBIs. His OPS was north of 1.000. He’s been the team’s MVP and the league’s most feared hitter for two and a half months.
New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge.© John Jones-Imagn Images
And that’s why former New York Mets GM Steve Phillips was incredulous on Wednesday afternoon. Hosting MLB Now on the MLB Network, Phillips asked incredulously, “is that legal?”
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Phillips was joking. He, of all people, knows all too well that a New York crowd demands results. Still, he went on to try to remind Yankees fans to come back to the real world.
“Aaron Judge is having a phenomenal season,” Phillips said. “He’s putting up historic numbers.”
Phillips wasn’t the only one who took issue with the Yankees fans on Wednesday morning. MLB Network Radio’s Kevin Frandsen and Chris Gimenez took issue with the reaction on “Power Alley.”
On Wednesday’s broadcast, the two hosts pushed back at the idea of booing a player like Judge, even during a slump. They didn’t go full talk-radio outrage, but they pointed out that Judge is still making phenomenal numbers.
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They have a point. Judge’s batting average was .377 going into Tuesday’s game. After the 0-for-4 night, it dipped slightly to .371. He’s still top-five in nearly every major offensive category. He still leads the Yankees in almost all of them.
They were more incredulous that Judge was getting some “Bronx cheers,” and upset.
But for the moment, he’s struggling like the rest of the team. New York has now been shut out three games in a row. They haven’t scored in 29 innings. They’ve crossed home plate just five times in their last six games.
And that’s the real story. Yankee Stadium is restless. They have expectations of getting back to the World Series. This stretch has everyone concerned.
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But if anyone’s earned a little grace, they argued, it’s the guy who’s carried them for most of the season.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.