Dodgers make big change in response to Aaron Judge incident
After last season where he broke a home-runs record that had stood since 1961, Aaron Judge has now broken a stadium that has stood since 1962.
Los Angeles Dodgers president Stan Kasten revealed this week that the team is planning to reinforce the chain-link fence in right field at Dodger Stadium as well as to add a strip of padding on the concrete portion of the wall. The move comes after the New York Yankees superstar Judge crashed into the wall while making an incredible catch over the weekend (see here) and injured himself in the process.
“He didn’t go through the [bullpen] door, which is what I thought when I was watching the game,” Kasten said of the incident with Judge, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. “Then I got out there and realized the door doesn’t open in that direction.
“He actually broke through where some of the panels were joined, the barrier between the two connecting panels,” Kasten continued. “Which is unbelievable. But we’re going to strengthen that and add a strip of padding on the bottom as well.”
The reigning AL MVP Judge, who stands 6-foot-7 and 282 pounds, ran into the fence at full speed. Though it seemed like the fence had gotten the worst of it, Judge actually suffered a lower-body injury on the play.
Interestingly enough, the other New York team voiced a big complaint about Dodger Stadium last season. With both Judge and Yankees manager Aaron Boone calling for changes to the stadium in the wake of this incident, the Dodgers are now set to do just that.
