BALTIMORE — While almost everyone inside of Camden Yards was craning their neck toward Eutaw Street, Juan Soto was quickly redirecting his glance toward Dean Kremer.
The Yankees star had just crushed a 447-foot home run off Kremer in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Orioles, but after a quick look to right field, Soto stared down Kremer and flipped his bat.
“It’s part of the game,” said Soto, who shot a few more stares at Kremer as he rounded the bases. “We were going back and forth.
“He didn’t like the shuffle. I bet he didn’t like the homer, too.”
After drawing a walk and hitting a single in his first two at-bats against Kremer, Soto worked a full count with one out in the sixth inning.
During the at-bat, he did his trademark shuffle after taking an inside cutter on the 2-1 pitch, which he thought Kremer took exception to.
Soto’s blast was the first home run to land on Eutaw Street this season and the 123rd all time, the Orioles said.
Even after talking to MLB about it, Aaron Boone was not feeling much better on Tuesday about the situation regarding Aaron Judge’s slides into second base.
After crew chief Andy Fletcher said the umpires should have called interference on Judge on Sunday in Milwaukee, when his outstretched hand broke up Willy Adames’ throw to first on a potential double play, Boone sought clarification from the league on it Monday.
That conversation did not appear to help very much.
“Not a lot of clarity on it,” Boone said. “I didn’t feel like I got conviction on it.”
Judge and Boone have both reiterated that the slugger always slides into second base with his left hand up, though this was the first time it got in the way of an infielder’s throw to first.
But the rules dictate that it does not have to be intentional contact for there to be interference.
“But if you don’t view it as intentional, it’s gotta be something that you think is out of the ordinary of what you normally do,” Boone said. “I don’t think that met the criteria.”
Boone said he does not expect Judge to change anything about how he slides into second because of Fletcher’s ruling.
The Yankees were playing their own game Monday night, but afterwards they were happy to find out about their former right-hander, Luis Severino, who took a no-hitter into the eighth inning for the Mets against the Cubs.
“Wow. I didn’t see any of it, but pretty impressive,” Boone said. “Good for him. I know he’s worked really hard and been through a lot over the last several years. I actually talked to [Carlos Mendoza] last night for a few minutes. So, pretty good to see Sevy throwing the ball the way we all know he’s capable of.”
The Yankees traded infielder Keiner Delgado to the Pirates on Tuesday as the player to be named later in their March deal for right-hander JT Brubaker.
The 20-year-old Delgado, who was ranked the Yankees’ No. 20 prospect by MLB.com, hit .293 with a .899 OPS last season in the rookie-level Florida Complex League.
Brubaker, meanwhile, is rehabbing after Tommy John surgery but has been throwing off the mound “for a while now,” Boone said.
“I would think he’s on track to be an option for us at some point this summer,” Boone said.
Infielder Jon Berti (groin) played his second rehab game Tuesday with Double-A Somerset, going 0-for-2 with two walks and playing seven innings at third base. He is expected to play another rehab game Wednesday.
Gerrit Cole (elbow nerve) threw again on flat ground Tuesday and “everything went well,” Boone said, but he did not have a date for when he would advance to throwing off a mound.
Nick Burdi (hip) went to Somerset on Tuesday to throw a bullpen session.