Blue Jays Pitcher Says Yankees Aaron Judge 'Lied' About Pitch-Tipping Peeking, But Defended Him Anyway

Two weeks ago, New York Yankees star Aaron Judge "peeked" towards his team's dugout and/or first base coach prior to a pitch from a Toronto Blue Jays hurler.

That moment stirred up a ton of debate about the "unwritten rules of baseball" with regards to pitch-tipping.

Everyone agrees that the Houston Astros using technology to steal signs and, ultimately, steal a World Series is wrong. The league punished them for it.

But what about a first-base coach noticing something from a pitcher or catcher and relaying it to a hitter? That's a tricky gray area for some people.

Not for me. If a base runner, base coach, player in the dugout, or hell, even a fan can see signs in real-time with their own eyes and relay it to a hitter, more power to all involved.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt appeared with Chris Rose and they talked about the Aaron Judge "controversy."

“We knew what was going on,” Bassitt said, according to the New York Post. “They knew we were tipping. It that illegal? No, it’s not illegal."

With regard to Judge explaining after the game that he was looking at the dugout because his teammates were chirping the umpire, Bassitt says Judge made that up.

“Judge’s response to it? I have no problem with it. Was it a lie? Yeah, it was a lie,” Bassitt said. "What do you want him to do, come out and say, ‘Hey, all their pitchers were tipping, and I’m gonna tell them how they’re tipping?'

"I think he just made up a story to kind of say, like,'I’m not going to tell them they’re tipping. Like, why would I say that?'" 

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt defends Aaron Judge -- sort of -- over pitch-tipping 'controversy'

Everything Bassitt says is correct. Though, it's interesting because Aaron Judge not only said after the game that he wasn't getting signals, but the next day said he had "choice words" for the broadcasters who accused him of getting signs.

Bassitt implies Judge had no choice in those moments, but that's not true, either. He certainly didn't have to double-down the next day.

"Especially with the things that have happened in this game with cheating stuff and to get that thrown out, I’m not happy about it," Judge said following the incident.

"But people can say what they want. I still got a game to play, I got things I gotta do. I told you guys what happened and everybody else can make their own story about it."

If he truly was getting signs, as Bassitt implies he was, then this response is NEARLY perfect. He says he wasn't cheating.

That's true.

Saying he's got more important things to worry about.

Also true.

But the final part where he, essentially, drops the "that's my story and I'm sticking to it" is where the gray area comes into play.

Either way, I applaud Chris Bassitt's response to the whole ordeal.

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.