Everything Dusty Baker said after Houston Astros Game 2 ALCS win over New York Yankees

Astros have kept Aaron Judge from hurting them in ALCS

Judge is just 1-for-8 in the first two games of the ALCS, logging a single on Thursday night. While the Astros are keeping New York’s offense in check through the first two games, one of the keys to keeping that going is to make sure that Judge doesn’t find his home run swing.

“He’s the biggest dude in baseball and the most powerful guy in baseball,” Baker said. “You would rather not have to face him with any men on base, you know, and we’ve escaped so far. You would rather not have to face Judge in those situations, but you know sooner or later you’re going to have to face him. You can’t pitch around him all the time because they got some very dangerous guys coming up behind him. That’s the power of how your team or their team sets their lineup.

“So like I said, we’re not going to mess with Judge too much. We just kind of leave him alone.”

In the first two games, Houston pitchers didn’t give Judge the chance to “mess” with them. Will that continue in the Bronx? The answer to that question could also be the answer to if the Yankees will make the series competitive in the home stadium.