It was a moment made for baseball theater – two walks, a tip of the cap, and one manager’s infectious laughter. During Wednesday night’s tense contest between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels, Ron Washington’s reaction to Aaron Judge’s hat-tip after back-to-back intentional walks quickly went viral.
Judge, who has been in scorching form, got a free pass twice in his first two at-bats by the Angels. After the second walk loaded the bases in the first inning, Judge turned toward the Angels’ dugout and cheekily tipped his helmet. Washington couldn’t help himself as he erupted into laughter.
Aaron Judge tips his cap to a laughing Ron Washington after he was intentionally walked twice in the first two innings pic.twitter.com/PB13QcIBQn
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) May 29, 2025
While the viral moment provided a light-hearted highlight, dominant pitching defined the serious contest.
Yankees Complete Sweep Behind Pitching Masterclass
Clarke Schmidt led the way for New York, tossing six scoreless innings while striking out five. The bullpen trio of Ian Hamilton, Tim Hill, and Mark Leiter Jr. closed the door on the Angels, combining for three hitless innings. Leiter sealed the win with his second save of the season.
Ironically, the Yankees scored the game’s only run in the first inning just after Judge’s second walk. Anthony Volpe’s sacrifice fly drove in the run the Yankees needed to win.
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The win marked New York’s fifth straight and their second consecutive series sweep. They now own one of the best pitching records in MLB, with a collective 3.25 ERA in 55 games.
The Yankees now head into a marquee showdown against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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