The Bronx was blazing, the stakes were sky-high, and two of baseball’s fiercest rivals were at war. The Yankees were hunting another win to pad their dominant record. The Red Sox? They came with one mission: To remind everyone they’re far from done. And they did, loudly. Boston exploded in a fiery 11-7 triumph. But for those watching on national television, that roar was drowned by something else: A broadcast obsessed with one name, Aaron Judge.
Sunday night is a night to remember for the Red Sox. They dominated the finale and sealed the win, making a bold statement in their very first clash of the season with the Yankees. Boston’s bats produced five home runs to overpower the Bronx Bombers, with players like Rafael Devers, Carlos Narváez, and Kristian Campbell stepping up.
But those who watched the broadcast wouldn’t have heard these names as much as they deserved. They were too fixated on hyping up Judge. And it didn’t go unnoticed, especially by Boston fans.
On NESN, while in conversation with George Balekji, host Travis Thomas voiced his frustration. “No matter what, Red Sox winning the game, Devers balling out of control, yet they just keep talking about Aaron Judge the whole game. The whole game.” He couldn’t help but call out the clear favoritism on display. “I’m like, Aaron Judge is great. He had a moon rocket early. My son was even hyped. Like, ‘Oh my God. Aaron Judge.’ I’m like, ‘Hey, relax. You’re a Sox fan.’ My God. Can we talk about the game and not just one player, please?”
Thomas’s concern is absolutely understandable. It’s true that Judge homered twice in the game, but when the dust settled, it was the Red Sox who walked away with the win. And that win didn’t come magically, the players battled hard in Yankee Stadium. Unfortunately, that effort got sidelined. While Narváez added a three-run homer in the sixth, Devers marked his historic 30th homer against the Yankees in the ninth. Campbell’s two-run homer was followed by solo shots from Abraham Toro and Trevor Story.
Every bit of that deserved the spotlight. Viewers don’t just tune in for star names, they want the full picture: Team strategies, improvements, stats, and a proper game breakdown. But sidelining all of that just to spotlight one team or player exposes a troubling pattern. This isn’t the first time mainstream media’s Yankee favoritism has been criticized.
Remember how the media picked apart Juan Soto for his Mets decision? They claimed he was unhappy in New York and saw the whole situation through a Yankee perspective, shaping the narrative accordingly. “Why I’m frustrated is how little the convo has been about baseball. There is a large contingent of baseball media that is observing this from the Yankee lens,” pointed out The Mets Pod host Connor Rogers.
Similarly, in the Yankees vs Red Sox game, too, the balance was clearly off. Even if the broadcasters barely noticed, Judge, despite shining in a losing effort, didn’t hesitate to acknowledge the real talent in the Red Sox.
Judge commends Narváez despite loss
For Judge, intense media attention is familiar. But losing the game after a multi-homer night? That is rare. He hit two double-run homers, a 436 ft bomb early in the game, and another 398 ft shot in the ninth. He just joined Lou Gehrig for third place in franchise history with 43 multi-homer games. After a night like that, you’d expect it to end in a win. But all his hopes came crashing down as an ex-Yankee flipped the script.
Silencing Yankee Stadium, Narváez hit a three-run, 372 ft homer in the sixth, fueling Boston’s unexpected victory.
Judge didn’t forget to compliment him during the post-game interview. “Hard worker, great teammate… I’m excited for the opportunities he’s getting right now… Everybody loved him. He outworked everybody in this room, so it doesn’t surprise me.” The team may even be rethinking their decision to let him go.
“It was very tough… just for who he is, but also… what a talented catcher he is. Sometimes you have to make tough moves to make other things plausible,” Yankee skipper Aaron Boone commented about Narváez.
Judge gave his all for the team, but Boston’s lineup was simply too strong that night, making his efforts fall short. He’s hitting a glorious .396 with a 1.264 OPS, topping the league this season. He also has 23 homers and 55 RBIs, so it won’t be tough for him to recreate a performance like this. Next time, he’ll just have to hope the luck is on his side, too.
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