ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It’s not in Aaron Judge’s DNA to howl at an umpire who might have missed a pitch on him. And across his short career, Judge hasn’t very often looked at an umpire with a quizzical face.
Nevertheless, when plate umpire Phil Cuzzi called Judge out on a 2-2 pitch in the first inning of Friday night’s 2-1 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field, Judge’s face told you he didn’t agree with the ump.
In the third inning it was much clearer that Judge didn’t like Cuzzi calling a strike on a 1-2 pitch.