Behind Aaron Judge, Team USA scores first WBC victory over Mexico since 2006

HOUSTON — He broke character halfway up the first-base line, before the baseball he bludgeoned found a home within some right-field seats. Aaron Judge turned toward his dugout, flipped his bat, fired off an expletive and epitomized the ethos of a ballclub he captains. Baseball is, at its core, a kids’ game. Every three years, the World Baseball Classic offers a three-week reminder.

Judge is the figurehead of this feared group, perhaps the best ever assembled under the Team USA umbrella. It has embraced everything that is exciting about the World Baseball Classic — celebrations, camaraderie and pride in playing for an entire country.

“For a 162-game season, I don’t think you can lean in like that and be so passionate. I think you would run out of gas midseason,” manager Mark DeRosa said last week. “But for a seven-game blast you can let it eat.”

So there sauntered Judge, one of the most stoic sluggers in a sport full of them. A smile, slight fist pump or forearm bash is often the extent of his public excitement. Monday night at Daikin Park jolted Judge out of character and into an almost childlike glee, all as he spearheaded a 5-3 victory against Mexico.

Judge wore a wide smile while rounding the bases. He rendered a salute to Team USA’s bullpen between second and third. The two-run home run he muscled out to right field staked Team USA to a lead it never relinquished, putting the club in control of Pool B with one game remaining.

Judge drove in two runs and prevented another with an outfield assist before a bonkers sellout crowd of 41,628 in downtown Houston, the majority of which donned Mexican colors and cheered against the team playing on its own soil.

“You didn’t know who was the home team,” said Team USA starter Paul Skenes. “And there were times during the game where the Mexico fans got fired up and there were times when the USA got fired up. It was pretty cool. I think it would be hard to find another atmosphere like that outside of a tournament like this. It just doesn’t happen in the regular season, I don’t think. That was cool to be a part of.”

When constructing this club, DeRosa had two priorities: “a position-player pillar,” he explained, “and you want a pitching pillar.” Judge, who did not play in the 2023 Classic, was “all in from last March,” DeRosa said, giving him the first pillar and the most straightforward way to stack this team with so many superstars of his ilk.

The pitching pillar has, perhaps, been committed since before ever becoming a professional. Skenes started his collegiate career at the Air Force Academy. If not for discovering his pitching prowess, Skenes said he would’ve become a fighter pilot. Patriotism oozes from him — and made him perfect for this assignment. He even convinced Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal to join him.

Against Mexico, Skenes struck out seven across four overpowering innings. His sixth pitch of the game arrived at 99.7 mph. Ten others were 98 mph or harder. Mexico took 31 swings against him and whiffed 15 times.

No Mexico runner reached third base against Skenes, who was limited to 60 pitches by both the calendar and tournament rules governing pitch counts.
Jarren Duran blooped a single in the third inning for the only hit against him. Judge rendered it moot with a 145-foot throw from right field, nabbing Joey Ortiz as he tried to advance from first to third.

“One of the best throws I’ve seen,” Skenes said.

Judge’s home run began the home-half of the third. Five batters later, Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony supplied another — a three-run home run off a hanging slider from Mexico reliever Jesús Cruz. Judge greeted Anthony outside the dugout to orchestrate a rare celebration between rivals from the Red Sox and Yankees.

Both bombs supplied Skenes and four relievers all the cushion they required. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. made two sparkling plays to preserve the lead — including a fourth inning, full-extension dive to steal a single from Alejandro Kirk.

The win was Team USA’s first over Mexico in WBC play since 2006. Mexico had won the previous three matchups. This one handed control of Pool B to Team USA, which defeated Brazil on Friday and Great Britain on Saturday. Team Italy, the only other undefeated team in Pool B, will play Team USA on Tuesday night.