Yankees' ace slugger Aaron Judge on being booed: 'I've heard worse'

Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees was booed by home fans at Yankee Stadium in New York City in the game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

The Yankees lost the game 2-0 to the Rays and Judge struck out four times. Disappointed home crowd expressed their anger and frustration with resounding boos.

"I've heard worse, and I'd probably be doing the same thing in this situation," Judge said after the game. As one of the greatest sluggers in the Major League Baseball (MLB), he had a slow start in the 2024 season, hitting .179 at bats with a slugging percentage of .359 and an on-base percentage of .682 in 21 games. He had 27 strikeouts, the second-most in the American League (AL).

"It's still early. It's a long season," Judge said. "Just missing the pitch. Get a pitch in the zone, I got to capitalize on it because I don't get too many. And then I get hits. I think that's what it comes down to. Just don't miss your pitch when you get it and take your walks when you can, not getting anything."

Though Judge is not as sharp as he was at betting, he tallied 17 walks, the second best in the major league.

"It's hitting, man," the Yankees' manager Aaron Boone said. "We'll be here next year talking about a great player that's in a little funk. And we're in April. It happens all the time with greatness. Every year. And we'll scratch our heads, and then you look up in a few weeks and Aaron Judge is Aaron Judge."

Only two years ago, Judge hit 62 home runs with 131 runs batted in 157 games. He was named the AL Most Valuable Player of that season.

"I feel like he's done a lot for this team, a lot for this organization," the Yankees' pitcher Nestor Cortes said. "He's going to come out [of this]. It's just a matter of time. This team is way too good to have a lot of games like today. He's going to come around. He's going to be Aaron Judge, obviously. It's just a matter of time."