TAMPA, Fla. _ Aaron Judge thinks that the Astros' 2017 World Series trophy might as well just be a hunk of metal. Speaking for the first time on their cheating scandal, the Yankees slugger said that the Astros title means nothing, that the scandal made him sick to his stomach, that he felt cheated out of a World Series appearance and that he's lost respect for Houston's players.
"I just don't think it holds any value. If you cheated ... you didn't earn it," Judge said when asked if the Astros should have been stripped of their World Series title. "That's how I feel ... is that it wasn't earned the way of you know, playing the game right and fighting to the end. ... The biggest thing about competition is (you) lay it all on the line and whoever's the better player, better person ... just lay it out there and now to know that another team had an advantage that you can't really guard against that.
"I just don't feel like that is earned."
Judge spoke about the Astros Tuesday after he had a limited first workout because of shoulder soreness. He hoped discussing the scandal, which dominated the offseason and the first week of spring training, would help him and his teammates move on to the 2020 season.
But the whole thing has him looking back in anger and frustration, particularly at the fact that the Astros more than likely had an illegal advantage in the 2017 American League Championship Series, when they beat him and the Yankees.
"It was tough to watch; and through the whole thing and once it came out, I was pretty mad, pretty upset to know that we were probably cheated out of the possibility of making it to the World Series," Judge said. "As a kid, that's _ forget the individual awards; forget how many games you win, how many homers you hit _ it's about winning the World Series with your team and fighting to the very end; the blood, sweat and tears you put in the game, to be that last team in the standings.
"And to hear that you got cheated out of that opportunity, that's tough to kinda let go."
Judge said it will be hard to ever really let go of his feelings for the players that participated in the illegal sign-stealing scheme. After the news broke, it was noted that Judge took down his gracious social media post congratulating Jose Altuve on being named AL MVP in 2017.
It was on purpose.
"I think I took it down right when the story broke out, right when Mike Fiers came out and said this is what was going on in 2017. Once I heard that I was just sick to my stomach," Judge said. "I have a lot of respect for those guys, what they did. And especially what they did for the city, Houston's organization and a team that was in last place and drafted right, got the right players in there and eventually got to the World Series. I had a lot of respect for them and what they did. Then to find out that it wasn't earned. They cheated.
"I just didn't feel like the post ... really meant the same anymore."
Judge said he didn't care as much about the MVP award as he did the Astros cheating to get the World Series trophy.
"I really don't wanna get into the whole 'if Altuve stole the MVP or not,' cause that really don't matter. It's over with," Judge said.
"The biggest thing is, I gotta make sure next time I don't keep the votes so close, I guess. Try to go out there and win it outright, so there's no question," Judge said with a laugh. "So he won it, and that's how it is."
Judge said it bothered him more thinking about how many players across the game were cheated and hurt.
"That's tough, the whole thing _ even thinking about who it affected. It didn't only affect us as the Yankees, it affected the fans of the game, and other guys, guys that lost their jobs because of it, the guys that went into Houston and got beat up a little bit and never made it back to the big leagues," Judge said. "That's another thing for me that I really can't tolerate that, for the guys who go in there and play fair and square and get beat up a little bit, and now they're out of a job because of it. That ain't right."
And for the Yankees, it wasn't right they were cheated out of fair chance at a World Series appearance in 2017 and wondering if Judge and his teammates were cheated out of one in 2019. Like many players across the game, Judge isn't buying that the Astros stopped the scheme, believing they just found a way to hide it better.
"It's tough to think that it didn't continue. I don't know all the facts; nobody knows all the facts, to be honest," Judge said. "So to think that they cheated and won it all in '17, to think that they just clear-cut stopped the next, '19 or '18, it's tough for me to say that. But we'll never really know, to be honest. I don't think so."
