From Bryan Hoch:
Jazz Chisholm Jr. stood at the top step of the dugout, his palms raised skyward in amazement. Aaron Judge had just homered for a fifth consecutive game, and by all indications, the Yankees captain had tossed his bat aside expecting a routine flyout.
That’s how things are going right now for Judge, who hit his Major League-leading 58th home run off the Orioles’ Bryan Baker in the seventh inning of the Yanks’ 10-1 victory on Thursday evening, which clinched the American League East for the Bombers.
“Like I’ve said before, he’s out there playing video games while all of us are out there working,” Giancarlo Stanton said. “It’s been incredible to watch. The guy is phenomenal, and I get a front-row seat for it.”
The two-run drive, a Statcast-projected 394-foot blast that left Judge’s bat at 110.9 mph, came with Juan Soto aboard and gave the Yankees a 9-0 lead. Judge has seven homers in his last 12 games (since Sept. 13).
“He’s just so good,” manager Aaron Boone said. “More really good at-bats tonight; I feel like the last week to 10 days, he’s started to really lock back in. That ball he hits tonight, I thought it was a fly ball to left-center and it just kept going and going. It’s Aaron Judge. It’s greatness in front of us.”
Well, that was one heck of a win. Gerrit Cole ended his season with a 3.41 ERA, and frankly, the first few games he was obviously not ready to be pitching in the Majors, so overall, he was better than that, and 3:41 ERA isn’t even BAD. It honestly makes the whole Devers debacle even STRANGER because he’s so fucking good, why was he playing games like that? In any event, this was a big game, and he dominated the Orioles. It was very impressive. There was a cool moment in the sixth, with the Yankees then clinging to a 1-0 lead with a runner on second and two outs when Cole thought he had Anthony Santander struck out on a pitch that the umpire (who had a TERRIBLY inconsistent zone in this game) called a ball. Cole was practically off of the field when he had to go back to continue the at-bat. He then struck out Santandar on a 98 MPH fastball, and Cole then fucking STARED DOWN the umpire as he walked off of the field. That WAS the featured image, but I realized that the shot of Cole tipping his hat to the crowd after exiting in the 7th with a 7-0 lead was probably the better image.
The Yankees didn’t do much against Corbin Burnes, but Giancarlo Stanton shows that when he is hot, he can hit ANYone. He really is a difference maker like that. You truly have no idea when he is going to hit a home run or a booming double. His issue, of course, is that he can SUCK against any pitcher, as well.
In any event, great win, and now the Yankees need to basically win at least one of three against the Pirates while having the Guardians avoid sweeping the Astros (winning two out of three against the Pirates would also get the job done, of course), and the Yankees will have HFA in the American League (and avoid playing the Astros in the ALDS). I hope they win two against Pittsburgh, though, as 95 wins has a certain ring to it.
Stanton needs a really top-notch hypnotist.
And yes, again – Bradley behind the plate yesterday should be, for MLB, a moment of complete humiliation. Never has the argument for robot umpires been made with such overpowering eloquence.
I bet you all love the Yankees now
I love that Judge took your advice to hit more HRs.
Burns: “You, Strawberry, hit a home run!”
Strawberry: “OK, skip.”
Strawberry: [hits home run]
Burns: “I told him to do that!”
Smithers: “Brilliant strategy, sir.”
But not before trying NOT hitting more home runs for way to long, before finally realizing it wasn’t as good.
Spring Training lineup, Judge sits, Soto plays. I guess Judge doesnt care that much about 60.
https://x.com/Yankees/status/1839743214539923900?t=AFCD4e_4OmKD1GZRAPvR6Q&s=19
F*ing incredible.
He’s a performer, and WE care. History cares. How can he sit NOW?
Not cool, Aaron.
UPD: I mean, like really, really not cool.
He’s not getting to 62 or 63 so it’s fine.
He does deserve a rest. If he plays the last couple days, he just needs to go 6-for-6 with 6 HR’s both days, and that’ll bring him to 70 and probably a batting title too.
Please. How much of a rest is it?
He has 5 games in a row, closing in on one significant record.
Other bigger ones – really big ones – are on the line.
He surely wants us to be invested in him, to care about what he does.
Why should we, though, if he’s going to show us that he doesn’t?
Rest for a day in June, man. And deserves – a batting title, a home run record, that’s something to deserve. One day not playing when all that’s on the line – that’s what he deserves? That’s a crazy take, in my view.
Or, in other words – his innumerable fans deserve, WE deserve, for him to show us he cares at least almost as much as we do.
Pete – I’ve learned from experience to trust my patients when they describe their symptoms, and to trust my colleagues when they say they need a day off.
I think, and I think most fans would agree, that a healthy Judge contributing to a WS championship would be the most enjoyable outcome, and that if Judge feels that he needs a day, that’s more important than him trying to hit 60.
I suspect Judge feels the same, and is doing what he thinks will help win a championship. He hasn’t even had a chance to play in the World Series. He wants this at least as much as he wants individual records / accolades – even a selfish player knows that a championship burnishes an individual’s legacy unlike any individual record; but everything Judge has ever said and done suggests that he just wants to win for the sake of winning.
So – if Judge feels he needs the day off, for whatever reason, then I’m okay with that.
(If Boone/Cashman are making him sit, then that’s stupid.)
If he hit a HR in the 1st inning, he’d set that record.
And be at 59 – when’s the last time a Yankee had 2 59-hr seasons? You know the answer.
And he’d be right there for the consecutive games with HRs record.
And 2+ more games for a second season of 60. Or 61. Or… 62…
And a chance to push for a batting title – it’s not going to sink to him without his rising up to meet it.
Oh, you know all that.
He’s already surpassed Ruth for top two seasons (58 + 62 = 120 > 119 = 59 + 60)
If you were talking about a month to recover, I might buy that.
But it’s one day off. It really just can’t do anything significant for him.
After the last game, Judge specifically noted that he was likely going to take the next day off, so I saw this coming. It’s still a bit of a shame. He better not pinch hit, as that would break his consecutive games record (well, okay, he can pinch hit if he hits a pinch hit home run, but only then!).
Boone has been known to be tone-deaf, among other things.
Also, though, the MOST IMPORTANT THING for the Yankees is if Stanton has a good game, he HAS to sit the next game to make sure he doesn’t get into a rhythm. That is VERY IMPORTANT.
Ohtani playing for the Dodgers, in Colorado.
Judge psyching himself for facing Skenes tomorrow?
I really want to go to the game tomorrow, when I checked earlier today, tickets were pretty reasonable. But, none of my friends/family can or are interested and it’s a long round trip.
I think I’ve have to settle for TV.
I mean, it’s not like every kid dreams of breaking the records he’s not going to bother trying to break.