Blue Jays pitcher not a fan of Aaron Judge getting ‘different baseballs’ in home run chase

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is hitting different baseballs in his home run chase, and a Toronto Blue Jays pitcher expressed his dislike of that.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge gets pitched specially marked baseballs to help the league verify his home run chase, and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman expressed his dislike of that.

According to a Tweet from Julia Kreuz of MLB.com, Gausman stated, “Why does he need a different baseball? Like, if we’re writing something on it beforehand, I think he’s gonna get the baseball no matter what, right? I know why they’re doing it. But, you know, kind of weird.”

Kreuz also noted that Gausman said the balls don’t have a different feel or quality, but it’s “just different” and disruptive to the game.

Understandably, having to switch a ball just for one hitter would be disruptive and probably nerve-wracking. Having a pitcher switch balls for Judge specifically would probably cause said pitcher to think too much about the fact that he’s pitching to Judge, who’s about to tie a 61-year-old record.

Too much thought on that adds too much pressure, which would undoubtedly make it harder to pitch to such a high-caliber athlete this season. It’s understandable why the league is doing it, but it’s also understandable why some pitchers aren’t in favor of it.

Another pitcher in MLB, however, has a differing opinion from Gausman.

Blue Jays pitcher isn’t the only one who spoke out on Judge’s different baseballs

Boston Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta also spoke out on Judge having different baseballs, but with a differing opinion.

According to a Tweet by Marly Rivera of ESPN, Pivetta, who is a direct rival of Judge in the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, said that he “deserves different baseballs.”

He said they were less “rubbed up” compared to other game balls, but that it’s “the right thing to happen” for what he’s trying to achieve.

Judge is setting a new massive standard in the AL and is impacting all of MLB, so his success shouldn’t be taken lightly. If their way of tracking what he’s achieving is with a separate baseball, then so be it.