From Bryan Hoch:
Within the Yankees’ traveling party, there was no question that Aaron Judge would soon claim rights as the fastest player to reach 300 home runs in terms of both at-bats and games played, mere checkpoints as the captain continues on an express path toward greatness. Yet no one envisioned it coming quite like this.
When Juan Soto received an intentional walk ahead of Judge, the move prompted bemused headshakes, followed by anticipation that history was in the making. Judge delivered, launching a Chad Kuhl sinker into the left-field bullpen to claim his milestone in the Bombers’ 10-2 victory over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“It’s a great achievement,” Judge said. “I’ve been in the game a little while now, I guess. We’ve still got a long way to go. I was hoping it would come in a win.”
Judge’s Major League-leading 43rd home run came in the eighth inning, a three-run shot that put the Yankees up by seven runs at the time. It came in Judge’s 955th career game, obliterating a Major League record previously held by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, who hit his first 300 home runs in 1,087 games.
Arguably even more impressively, Judge’s 300th homer came in his 3,431st at-bat; Judge got there 400 at-bats quicker than Babe Ruth, who hit his 300th homer in his 3,831st at-bat. Mark McGwire (3,837) and Kiner (3,883) had the next fastest paces in history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
I won’t front, I really wanted the featured image to be Oswaldo Cabrera hustling in to score on a sacrifice fly from SECOND BASE to tie the game in the seventh, but, well, come the fuck on, it’s the dude’s 300th home run, and that it came after they INTENTIONALLY WALKED the guy ahead of him to face him with two runners on?!?! How do I not make that the featured image?
Congrats to Judge.
Congrats also to Will Warren, who pitched like a bit of a dummy, but has such great stuff (and the White Sox mostly suck) that he was quite good overall tonight. Had Trent Grisham not had a surprisingly terrible play in center, Warren might have only allowed a single run tonight.
Michael Tonkin got the old fashioned three-inning save and, well, again, if Michael Tonkin is the last man out of your bullpen, your bullpen is pretty darn good. Not GREAT, because the top end guys aren’t that great, but still, pretty darn good. We shall see who the NEW bottom man in the bullpen is, though, after Warren gets sent down following this game. Could Effross be ready to return?
In any event, they needed to sweep this series, and they didn’t, but obviously, as we saw, things were almost a lot worse, so it’s something.
Intentionally walking Soto to get to Judge was … curious. I get it that it set up a double play, but that’s more outsmarting yourself and smart strategy.
Yay Judge. Never expected he would be this good. It’s amazing. If the season ended today, Judge would have a 224 OPS+. Only three guys in modern MLB have been better: Ruth, Ted Williams, and Bonds’s steroid fueled run.
Also, I saw mentioned elsewhere that maybe Ohtani could be faster to 300, but he would have to hit 92 HRs over his next 136 games.
So … no.
In reality, but not in the record books, his 301st.
https://x.com/hschall_/status/1823917087426764822?s=61&t=fhOaqwtc8q2TMSXUDRjPeg
just posted this on fg, but:
…there’s continually been talk about compensating retired players with some of the modern largesse, what about compensating thought leaders like voros, tango, mgl, bill, Sean, and other primate era guys.
The two most amazing things about Judge’s season:
1) A few players have actually been better for a season. What could that possibly look like? It’s unimaginable!
and, more crucially,
2) He’s better right now than he’s ever been. He’s not just maintaining his pace. The man never makes an out anymore. Occasionally he has a 3-strikeout game, but more often (how insane it sounds) he’s on base every time, or 4 out of five PAs. It’s unreal how well he’s seeing the ball. Maybe it won’t last, but we’re talking about learned skills. Who knows what the limit is for this guy? And you can’t go on trends – he’s ALREADY a crazy outlier. Imagine if the line-up actually got better and he had some threats behind him on a consistent basis?
i simply hope he steadies his nerves and allows his natural and cultivated talent to be fully expressed come playoff time.
Like they’re making the playoffs!
hickory dickory dock…
Cabrera was awesome last night…which I guess means he sits on the bench tonight?
Trust the process, my friend.
Interesting fact, Babe Ruth never struck out 100 times in a season. And only made it to 90 twice.
Yogi had 30 home runs and 29 strike outs one year. Has anyone else who hit 20 or more home runs had more home runs than strike outs in a year
Until just before the end, DiMaggio had more home runs than strikeouts FOR HIS CAREER.
In seven different seasons, he hit at least 25 homers and had more homers than strikeouts.
In 1941, the year in which he hit in 56 consecutive games, he hit 30 homers and struck out 13 times.
He definitely will not play tonight.
This can’t be real, it must be AI.
https://x.com/jamessmyth621/status/1824131793349378155?s=61&t=fhOaqwtc8q2TMSXUDRjPeg
Huh?
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MLB reportedly weighing six-inning requirement for starting pitchers: How mandatory outings could work
https://x.com/CBSSportsMLB/status/1824096984522797227
It has so many loopholes that it really wouldn’t change anything, so it’s a pointless measure.
The exceptions to pitching six innings are 1. Allowed 4 or more earned runs, 2. Injured, and 3. 100 pitches.
Soooo….how many times would a team really pull their starter who has only allowed three runs and isn’t at 100 pitches before six innings? Basically unless they’re an injured pitcher on a pitch count (and I bet dollars to donuts that they’ll work in an exception for pitchers in those situations) it is doesn’t change much of anything except for the general “five and fly” approach, but, like, “six and fly” isn’t really markedly different. Pitchers ALREADY average 5 and a third innings pitched now.
Out, out, error, next nine batters reach capped by a home run. 10-0, no earned run, 40 pitches.
In that scenario, you’d be fine with the starter eating innings, though, right? So I think that that would still work.
I think I’m blind.
I know I probably should be rooting for the Red Sox, but honestly, I think I’d prefer to just see them buried in the standings, so they’re less of a concern going forward.
Like Dick Gregory on watching the Mississippi Mississippi State game, I’m rooting for the commercials. But yeah.
Yay Red Sox lose.
Boo Baltimore won.
No lane, no lane, gotta keep running Verdugo and DJ out there. No lane, no lane.
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Jasson Dominguez with an RBI single 2-for-2, RBI, BB, SB
The game was on YES. One hit was a misplayed infield single and the other was a fly ball that landed in the outfield. I’m a big fan of the Red Planet but he just hasn’t found his stroke. Yet.
They’ll look like LD’s in the box score. He’s better right now than Verdugo or DJ, he’s just bored in AAA after his taste of MLB in 2023.
Tim Hill’s had quite the turnaround here, huh?
I think the “Pick up DFAed guys and see if Blake can do something with them” approach is a good one, it just should be paired with at least one or two diamonds NOT found in the trash, ya know? Pick up two high end guys, and then let Blake polish up turds for the rest of the bullpen. It still shouldn’t cost that much money overall.
Until he turns back into a pumpkin.
Caleb, Gonzales, Santana, De Los Santos, Bickford aren’t so sure. And sure if you could pair Holmes and a top setup guy with a lights out closer we’d be fine.
did you stay up all night eating cheese?
also, Brian, try adding candor, camphor, humor, taste, and refinement
Imagine how good Judge could be if his strike zone were called accurately.
Wasn’t there some stat at some point that he had more incorrect “balls called strikes” than anyone in the MLB?
Also shout out the ump two night ago who called an almost perfect game.
From May 2022.
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2022/5/11/23065865/yankees-aaron-judge-called-strikes-low-umpires-missed-calls-zone-analysis
June 2022.
https://www.audacy.com/wfan/sports/yankees/yankees-aaron-judge-strikes-calls-out-of-zone-umpire-low
He’s baaaaaaaaack. Trevino, that is.
I gotta say, it IS really impressive how quickly he recovered from a gnarly injury.
But…yeah, I can’t say that I’m not quite worried about what Boone will do with Trevino’s playing time. He’s GOT to be JUST the back-up catcher now. He’s GOTTA be.
What’s the rush to bring players back?
Jesus Christ, new thread
Good news on Jazz
https://x.com/jonheyman/status/1824459759577124948?s=61&t=fhOaqwtc8q2TMSXUDRjPeg
Don’t get me wrong, it’s better than the alternative, but I think we’re all a bit too used to, “No, no, he might avoid the surgery…oh, never mind, he didn’t avoid the surgery” results from Yankee injured players, so I’m hesitant to celebrate just yet.
Or worse he sucks, he should’ve had the surgery.
… and they don’t realize/decide he needs the surgery till the end of Spring Training.
That’s so on point that it is painful.
It’s also the non-throwing arm of a position player, so even if surgery is necessary after the season, the recovery period should be much shorter than normal.
Stroman vs. Skubal on national television on Sunday night. Cool cool cool.
Verdugo’s doctor suspects allergic contact dermatitis to his batting gloves, with perhaps some contribution of tattoo pigments.
If that diagnosis is correct, then he can stop using those batting gloves, and take corticosteroids to tamp down the inflammation.
Allergy/Immunology and Derm are both beyond the scope of my practice, but if they want a second opinion, I wouldn’t stop at contact allergies; I’d also query whether Verdugo has an allergy to making hard contact.
Would test DJ too.
He should switch to the Posada approach to batting gloves.
It was never formally recognized, but I understand Jorge holds the unofficial record for gold gloves at catcher.
Trevino batting 7th. You knew Boone would start him right away.
How do I hate this lineup? Let me count the ways. Rushing Trevino back against a RHP. Then sitting Wells instead of letting him DH over Stanton. Burying Rice even against a RHP so DJ and and his 51 OPS+, -1.2 WAR can start. Now it’s true DJ has been good over the last 7 days, real good, 235/263/235, 499 OPS which is EVEN LOWER THAN HIS SEASON OPS 533!!!.WTF!! And as an aside don’t you want Cole and Wells to be a thing so The Idiot doesn’t start Trevino in a playoff game that Cole is pitching. Let me add Waldo has been the best hitter on the team after Soto, Judge and Wells, so why is he batting 9th?
G Torres (R) 2B
J Soto (L) RF
A Judge (R) CF
G Stanton (R) DH
A Verdugo (L) LF
A Volpe (R) SS
J Trevino (R) C
D LeMahieu (R) 1B
O Peraza (R) 3B
That’s a weird ass lineup.
I don’t mind Trevino being Cole’s personal catcher in the regular season, but yeah, Wells better be in there in the postseason.
Not to make your day any worse, but Waldo actually isn’t even playing.
I didn’t even see that John, I just assumed even The Idiot would start Waldo. Last 2 weeks.
DJ 592
Gleyber 612
phenom 638 (353 last 7 days)
Waldo 1091
This is like a house money lineup Wells 917 also sitting. Are we 8 games in front? Have we just won the first 3 games of a 4 game series? If we were facing a LHP it wouldn’t be nearly s bad, but we’re not.
Did Boone place a bet on the under?
Playing DJ is so stupid. This isn’t a serious organization but a circus, a one ring circus with Cashman as the ringmaster. No wonder they have a clown as manager.
To be fair 196 PAs is too small a sample to judge a guy who was very good just 4/5 years ago and is still in his prime.
He’s so stupid his stupidity is predictable. Cabrera has a good game? Let’s sit him the next one. Wells is hitting well and we just had a day off? Let’s sit him too.
They are never going to win a WS with this total idiot as the manager because he will undoubtedly blow a playoff game or two with his asinine lineups, player choices and in game idiocy.
I have been a fan since the Horace Clarke days and I have never witnessed such an absolute idiot managing a team.
Cabrera’s had a very good month. Wells has been great for a while.
It really is SUPER shocking that Waldo isn’t in there.
Prior to tonight’s game, the Yankees signed LHP Tim Mayza (#58) to a Major League contract and selected him to the active roster.
Over Effross or Burdi? Tim Mayza 2024 35 MLB games, 8.03 era, 1.946 WHIP. He was good last year and he’s been pretty good at Scranton. His last outing was against the Yankees 0ip 5r 5h.
Cashman is sharp. Sharp in knowing that Hal is clueless.