Aaron Judge smashed Dodger pitch.
Team president Stan Kasten said the Dodgers plan to reinforce the chain-link fence in right field that Judge collided with on Saturday and add a strip of padding on the concrete bit where he jammed his right big toe.
The 31-year-old Judge was left out of the Yankees’ lineup for the second straight game on Tuesday. Manager Aaron Boone told reporters that the swelling on Judge’s toe has diminished, but said the Yankees won’t provide a further update until team doctors review his test results for the 6-foot-7, 282-pound fixer.
Dodger Stadium opened more than 60 years ago, but no one can remember a play like the one Judge made on Saturday, when he cleared the fence while stealing extra bases for the Dodgers’ JD Martinez in the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 6-3 win.
“He didn’t come through the door, and that’s what I thought when I was watching the game,” Kasten said. Then I walked out of there and realized the door didn’t open that way.
“It actually pierced where some of the panels were joined, the barrier between the two panels that joined. Which is incredible. But we’re going to strengthen that and add a strip of padding on the bottom as well.”
Bon suggested Adding such padding, saying, “Look, I think all these places are trying their best to make things as safe as possible. But to me, it looks like the cement on the bottom could be a little padded.”
Kasten said that the areas in front of the bullpens are the only ones on the field that require additional protection, and that the Dodgers will add padding to the concrete pavement in front of the home corner as well.
The Marlins, after talks with Major League Baseball, made a similar move in recent weeks, adding grouting to portions of the outfield wall at Loan Park that includes exposed concrete block.
Marlins linebacker Jazz Chisholm Jr. injured his right big toe on a concrete block on May 13 while attempting a field goal. His goal is to return for a series against the White Sox in Chicago this weekend, but he’s still several weeks away from joining the club.
(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)
