Judge’s 2023 Dodger Stadium episode weighs heavily on ESPN analyst

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LOS ANGELES — As the New York Yankees prepare for their much-anticipated rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers this weekend, all eyes are on Aaron Judge—again.

But this time, it’s not just his MVP-caliber bat or the possibility of hitting .400 that’s generating headlines. It’s the setting: Dodger Stadium. The same right field wall where, on June 3, 2023, Judge crashed hard while making a highlight-reel catch, tearing a ligament in his toe and altering the Yankees’ season.

Now, Judge returns to the scene of the injury, back in right field, just as he’s putting together one of the most dominant offensive stretches in modern baseball.

MVP case in the making, but 2023 injury flashes

Judge is once again rewriting the narrative. Through 53 games, he leads the American League in batting average (.398), hits (80), and home runs (18). His weighted runs created plus (wRC+), a stat that adjusts for ballpark and era, sits at 245—higher than Barry Bonds’ legendary 244 mark in 2002.

ESPN analyst Bradford Doolittle didn’t hesitate to declare Judge the MVP front-runner, but reminded Yankees fans of the 2023 scare.

“The only thing that could derail Judge from unanimous support in MVP balloting is injury,” Doolittle wrote this week.

It’s a prescient warning given the setting for Friday night’s game: the same corner of Chavez Ravine that changed the trajectory of Judge’s 2023 campaign.

Judge rejects talks of fear

In the Yankees’ last regular-season trip to Los Angeles, Judge was stationed in right field when he made a sprinting grab into the fence in front of the Dodgers’ bullpen. The wall gave out, and his right foot slammed into an unpadded concrete ledge. He stayed in the game but missed 42 games afterward with a torn toe ligament.

Now, two years later, Judge will be back in that same spot.

“I’ll try not to think about it,” Judge said when asked about the return. “I got a job to do on the field. If you play with fear, you’re not going to be your best.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed that the Yankees captain would not be shifted to center field or designated hitter for the series.

“He’s going to play right field,” Boone said. “They’ve added more padding since then, and he’s smarter now about when to dial it back.”

Boone also acknowledged the memory of that night.

“I just remember seeing him after the game and realizing it wasn’t great,” Boone said. “As tough as he is, I knew something was wrong.”

Judge has played right field or DH exclusively this season and has looked more than healthy. He leads the majors in OPS (1.248), and has collected 14 doubles, 47 RBI, 51 runs, and 81 hits.

Eyes on .400—and the wall

The buzz around Judge extends beyond revenge in Los Angeles. There’s growing belief he could become the first MLB hitter to reach a .400 average since Ted Williams in 1941.

As of May 30, Judge’s .398 average leads MLB. The closest player to him, Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, trails by over 40 points. Betting markets have exploded with interest. BetMGM took a $2,000 wager at +17500 odds on the Yankees captain to finish the season above .400—a potential payout of $350,000.

“We get more action on MLB achievement props than any other sport,” BetMGM’s Hal Egeland told The Athletic. “Historic numbers like .400 have a gravity to them.”

Judge’s early-season numbers are historic in themselves. According to OptaStats, he became the first American League player ever to collect 50 hits, reach base 70 times, and tally 85 total bases before May.

Greatness never hostage to fear

For analysts like Doolittle, the juxtaposition of Judge’s greatness and the site of his worst injury isn’t lost.

“It’s one of those moments that lingers,” Doolittle said. “Judge is doing things we haven’t seen in decades, but there’s still that fear that the next collision could undo it all.”

Boone, however, believes his captain has learned from the past.

“You can never take it out of him completely,” he said. “But I think he knows when to go full throttle and when to protect his body. That’s growth.”

The Yankees captain himself plans to inspect the changes at Dodger Stadium during batting practice Friday, including the newly padded wall. But his focus remains fixed on the game, not the ghosts of injuries past.

“I don’t want to play scared,” Judge said. “I want to play smart.”

In 2022, Judge chased down 62 home runs to break Roger Maris’ AL record. This year, he may be chasing something even more rare: a .400 average.

The return to Dodger Stadium is a test—not just of memory, but of durability, mentality, and confidence.

For fans and analysts alike, the question remains: Can Aaron Judge conquer the wall that once brought him down, and continue his march toward history?

If he does, Friday night’s game won’t just be another stop in the regular season. It could be the moment Judge’s 2025 MVP case became unshakable—and the ghosts of 2023 were finally left behind.

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

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