Any time Aaron Judge finds himself standing on second base when his New York Yankees play Jose Altuve and the Houston Astros, odds are the flashbulbs will be popping.
That’s because the contrast in size between the two MLB all-stars is something at which sports fans have marvelled ever since a now-iconic 2017 photo from Yi-Chin Lee of the Houston Chronicle first appeared online.
It was an intriguing photo, not merely because of its aesthetics, but because it featured the two men that ended up finishing one-two in AL MVP voting that season — Altuve received 27 first-place votes compared to the two Judge got.
On Wednesday night, Associated Press photographer Eric Christian Smith snapped a new shot of the two during an 8-6 Astros win — which resulted in the franchise’s first sweep of the Yankees.
The image on the left was taken in 2017 by Lee. Hands at their sides, smiles on their faces, matching stars and stripes socks because that game took place over Independence Day weekend.
The one on the right, from Smith, is the new image. Both staring intently with hands on the hips.
Gotta love some symmetry.
Judge stands all of six-foot-seven and 282 pounds, yet, ironically, it was the five-foot-six, 165-pound Altuve that showcased serious power as he crushed two solo home runs that turned out to be the difference in Wednesday’s game.
The Yankees and Astros are scheduled to clash later this year in a four-game series at Yankee Stadium in June.
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