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July 6 EST: Aaron Judge hit by Volpe throw isn’t how this game was supposed to start—or end. But that’s what happened in the fourth inning at Citi Field, where the Yankees’ season found yet another bizarre low. The captain, the cornerstone, the one piece that usually holds together the chaos, was left bloodied after a misfired toss from teammate Anthony Volpe struck him near the right eye. It shattered his sunglasses, opened a gash, and—like everything else right now—just went horribly wrong.
When the Face of the Franchise Gets Hit in the Face
Anthony Volpe, in a moment of misplaced casualness, lobbed the ball toward Judge as they came off the field. Judge never saw it. He was still hustling in from right. The ball clipped him near the eye, cracked his sunglasses, and sliced his skin.
Not an act of malice—just bad timing and worse awareness. But that’s the thing. That’s this Yankees team right now. Off-step. Off-beat. Off-brand.
Judge, because he’s Judge, returned in the fifth with a bandage over his eye and his pride intact. Said he was “fine.” Of course he did. He’s still leading. Bleeding, but leading.
Manager Aaron Boone called it “confusion.” That’s generous. Confusion is forgetting a sign. This was a full-on baseball faceplant—on national television—during a six-game losing streak.
This Isn’t Just a Slump—It’s a Collapse in Real Time
Let’s call this stretch what it is: a collapse, not a cold streak. The Yankees have now dropped six straight. Every game looks like the same script: starters get shelled, bullpen implodes, defense caves in, and the bats wake up when the game’s already out of reach.
On Saturday, Carlos Rodón was the culprit on the mound, coughing up seven runs in five innings, including two taters that cleared the fence with authority. The Mets didn’t just beat the Yankees—they jogged past them. Smiled doing it.
The defense? Sloppy. Slower than it should be. Volpe’s toss wasn’t the only gaffe—it was just the most embarrassing.
Aaron Judge hit by Volpe’s Night: From Oops to Oof to Almost
You could see it on Volpe’s face after the throw—he knew. Knew he’d done something stupid. Knew he clipped the wrong guy. And sure, he tried to redeem himself with a solo shot in the seventh, but let’s be honest: the damage was already done. The scoreboard was already ugly.
He’s now 6-for-44 in his last 12 games. The spark plug is short-circuiting.
This team once looked tight, energetic, locked-in. Now? They look like they’re playing catch in the dark.
The Injuries Are Real, But So Is the Regression
Yes, they’ve been snakebit. Clarke Schmidt going down with Tommy John surgery is a brutal blow. The rotation is running on fumes. Rodón’s supposed to be an ace, but lately, he’s been batting practice. The bullpen is overworked. The offense is pressing.
But injuries don’t explain all this. This is about execution—or lack of it. Fundamentals have vanished. Communication is shot. And if Boone has answers, he’s not offering them out loud.
Judge Got Hit, But This Whole Team’s Been Taking Hits for Weeks
There was a time—not long ago—when the Yankees were rolling. Judge was doing MVP things. The bullpen was lights-out. The team felt like it had swagger.
Now, that feels like a different season.
Saturday’s friendly fire wasn’t just a blooper—it was a blinking red siren. You’ve got your star player getting drilled in the face by your struggling shortstop, all while the scoreboard tells the same story it’s told all week: Yankees down again.
Six losses. One identity crisis. And a full-on reckoning looming.
They say baseball’s a long season. But it’s getting late early in the Bronx. And right now, the Yankees don’t just need a win—they need a wake-up call.
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