Already, cellphone apps ding nationwide, as he strides to the plate.
In opposing stadiums, his presence prompts chants of "M-V-P."
When he comes up, pitching coaches march to the mound, and managers raise four fingers, signaling an intentional pass.
Facing him, every pitcher bears down extra hard, not wanting to go down in history.
And even with a sizable lead in the AL East - (six in the loss column) - the Yankees still need him to produce, and can barely offer protection in the lineup.
We have now watched Judge for nine years, ever since his name was called in the first round of the 2013 draft. We celebrated his ascent through Tampa, Charleston, Trenton and Scranton, and we saw his strike zone - originally set by MLB umpires at the size of an area code - finally become realistic. He is no one-hit wonder. Twice, Judge has hit more than 50 HRs in a season. Only injuries ever stopped him. He has played the last three months in centerfield, because the Yankees needed him there. He has been a great teammate, the team's de facto captain.
Last spring, the Yankees lowballed him with a contract offer. He called their bluff. In two months, he will be a free agent. We must steel ourselves for the possibility that the Yankees will poormouth and pull out their pockets, and that he will go elsewhere.
But today, none of that matters. Let's simply appreciate his greatness.
Whatever happens, Judge has earned a place in Monument Park.
Whatever happens, no Yankee player should ever again wear No. 99.
Whatever happens, Aaron Judge belongs on the short list of the greatest Yankees of all time.
The crunch is on. Every Judge at-bat will bring the glare of the nation.
He will have beaten Ruth. He will have beaten Maris. He will have beaten Reggie, Mickey, A-Rod - all the great sluggers who made the Yankees a special team, the most storied franchise in American sports.
In our lifetimes, we won't see his kind again.
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83 comments:
I’ve never seen the like of it in my 6 decades of Yankee fandom. Even the great years (‘85, ‘86) of that most underrated of all Yankee stars, Don Mattingly, pale in comparison. Not going to worry about what’s going to happen this winter. The Yankees may already have made their decision, set their budget, and begun to get their stories straight to deal with any fallout.
"He will have beaten Ruth. He will have beaten Maris. He will have beaten Reggie, Mickey, A-Rod - "
And beaten Brian Cashman.
All rise.
But...but...Ohtani pitches.
Hear, hear, Peerless Leader! A great piece.
And pretty funny, JM!
Judge is like a throwback to fabled old baseball heroes—or maybe like they never really were. If Coops and HAL really think they can put their collection of Man of Glass, Cole, Donaldson, Hicks, etc., out there next year—without Judge—and think they can get away with it...well, good luck with that.
Great piece, el duque. Thanks for writing it.
We shouldn't let our discontent with Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner and Rob Manfred or whoever else mar our enjoyment of a historic season.
There have only been eight 60-HR seasons in MLB history, six by cheaters. Judge could join Ruth and Maris in that clean club.
There have only been two Yankee Triple Crown winners. Judge could join Mantle and Gehrig in that club.
There have only been three Yankee position players to finish with 10+ WAR, Judge could join Ruth, Mantle, and Gehrig in that club.
There have only been four Yankees to finish a season with a 1.100 OPS or better. Judge could join Ruth, Mantle, Gehrig, and DiMaggio in that club.
It's a season for the ages. And someday in the future old men will be telling their grandkids it's the best they ever saw.
Thanks, Zach, good to know.
Yeah, when Judge went 4-5 on Sunday and only a spectacular catch by the centerfield kept him from going 5-5, I felt like we were moving into another dimension. How great to see it!
Hoss, this short list was enough to make me depressed: "Man of Glass, Cole, Donaldson, Hicks, etc."
I wonder what Judge would be hitting if he had, you know, hitters following him in the lineup?
With 15 games left in our 2022 season - there's one thing that I'd like to see before its all over.
If the Yankees are fortunate to have one more blow out in our favor, a lead big enough even for our bullpen to nail down, this is what Skipper Boone should do.
In the opposing team's last at bat, at the start of the inning he should pull a double switch and send Judge out to the mound to to face one batter.
Just one.
And then take him out of the game.
Put in Peralta or Lasagna - doesn't matter because from that moment onward as the fans are all cheering and Judge hands the ball off to Boone and heads to the dugout we all can proudly say that:
Judge pitches too.
AA, that's a brilliant idea. Can you imagine what Judge would look like to a batter? He's gigantic to start with, but put him up on a mound and he'd terrify anyone. Especially if he has control like Chapman.
Unfortunately, he'd have to face 3 batters. Maybe do the switch with 2 out and no one on? Then 2 intentional walks if the first guy gets on?
Would be even better if he ends the season with 0.00 era.
But... never gonna happen
Items from Pinstripe Alley today:
New York Post | Dan Martin: Gerrit Cole acknowledged his struggles with the long ball, after his outing in Milwaukee saw two more balls fly over the fence. The pitcher himself seems flummoxed by the problem, stating “I don’t really have an answer… In some cases, it’s kind of remarkable. I need to be better.” Manager Aaron Boone theorized that hitters are selling out for specific pitches and for power against Cole, but that in itself likely doesn’t fully explain this sudden spike in homers.
(My explanation is still, no sticky stuff. Pretty simple.)
New York Post | Ryan Glasspiegel: John Sterling will be on the mic for WFAN for the Yankees’ last 16 games of the regular season. Ryan Ruocco was slated to next week’s series on the road against the Blue Jays, but Sterling decided the possibility of calling a historic Judge home run was too much to pass up. The 84-year-old Sterling has drastically cut back on his road announcing this year, but will make the trip to Toronto.
(O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!)
The Athletic | Ken Rosenthal: (subscription required) In his weekly column, Rosenthal weighed in on the toughest MLB awards decisions, and decided that the AL MVP race (Judge vs. Shohei Ohtani) was not the hardest one, thanks to Judge’s September heroics. Rosenthal also mentions Anthony Volpe, the Yankees’ top shortstop prospect. Scouts reportedly think Volpe will soon shift to second or third base, given fellow top prospect Oswald Peraza’s strong shortstop defense, as well as the Yankees’ apparent fondness for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who doesn’t hit free agency until after 2023.
(That last sentence...jesus christmas, that would be such a bonehead Yankees thing to do...)
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I do think the sticky stuff is part of Cole’s problem, along with the normal wear and rear on his arm.
But didn’t I read that MLB would approve some version of it for use? I looked online and couldn’t find any reference.
Judge should never pitch. More than one position player has injured their arm pitching during blow outs.
I dunno, I didn't read anything to that effect.
Win, not if he masters....the Folly Floater!
Rufus - you are right - and your suggestion flies in terms of Judge's Journey to an era of 0.00.
But . . . in terms of it never gonna happen ---
One can DREAM.
@JM Scouts reportedly think Volpe will soon shift to second or third base, given fellow top prospect Oswald Peraza’s strong shortstop defense, as well as the Yankees’ apparent fondness for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who doesn’t hit free agency until after 2023.
(That last sentence...jesus christmas, that would be such a bonehead Yankees thing to do...)
Maybe not...If Volpe ends up @ 2B, Torres becomes expendable. Maybe Ca$h could trade Torres for another pitcher like Montas...that's so Cashman...
AA, love that idea, too! But the man who will not move a single player out of the prescribed, Cashman order out of fear for his job, will not risk injuring Aaron Judge.
UNLESS...that's exactly what Brian Cashman and HAL WANT to have happen!
Bwahahahahaha!
As for Cole, I think the ticky-tack may be part of the problem, too.
But looking back on his record, he has ALWAYS given up the long ball.
Even in his top Houston year—20-5, 2.50, and led the AL with 326 Ks—Cole gave up 29 homers, or the same number he has today. In 2020, his first year with us, he gave up 14—in just 12 starts.
As noted here, there are guys who are simply going to do that. But he needs to keep it in the park with guys on base. It doesn't seem that he can.
JM, ranger—this could work out for us.
With any luck, Donaldson will pull something and break down, and we can move IKF there. OR get rid of Torres!! (Though I'm already sighing and muttering over whatever sure-fire, can't-miss pitcher Coops is bringing in for him.)
HC66->
Judge will have already blasted his 62nd homer by that point so an injury would only diminish his value by about 7.3% - so Hal and Cash would be solidly on board with the PLAN.
As for Cole: He's just not that good a pitcher this season.
Cole's HR problem has definitely gotten worse.
Looking at the season Horace cited above (2019):
League avg. SP 1.44 HR/9
HOU Gerrit Cole 1.23 HR/9
Now let's look at 2022:
League avg. SP 1.17 HR/9
NYY Gerrit Cole 1.43 HR/9
Cole was actually *better* than average at preventing home runs in 2019, despite allowing 29 of them in 212.1 IP.
He's reached the same raw total in 30 fewer innings in a season where power is down leaguewide. (And he hasn't faced Aaron Judge once!)
Good breakdown, Zach, thanks. And yeah, if he'd had to face Judge all season, with another AL East team...
The guy just doesn't have the body language or expression of a gamer. Not that those things NECESSARILY mean anything. But he always seems about to rant and cry.
Is it any coincidence that Cole's ERA dropped by nearly 1.5 runs when he went to Houston?
And is now on the rise back to the 3.88 of his last year in Pittsburgh?
I wonder what it could be?
Jesus speaking of budget....
For all this belly aching Cashman does about budget constraints I was expecting when the MLB top payroll article came out that Yankees were like 8th or 10th on the list....were fuckin 2nd.... This is the worst allocation of 250 mil I've ever seen
RIP Maury Wills. The man could play.
Maury? Fuck. We are all finite. Of that I am certain.
Sad to hear.
In other news - Montas for Bader, anyone?
Yes...Master Bader is starting tonight...
Maury was some base stealer...
What hard evidence do you have of this accusation or are you simply substituting opinion for fact?
EBD, why do you even watch baseball?
A player does something historic and you immediately assume, without proof, that they're cheating? Just stop watching.
Judge has been a huge guy since the minors. He never went through the drastic body changes we saw Bonds and McGwire go through. So I call bullshit on "the eye test." What a load of crock.
It took Judge three years of college and three years of the minor leagues, multiple coaches and mechanical changes to learn to hit with his giant frame.
Dismissing his hard work with zero evidence is weak.
If Judge tests positive for something, you can celebrate being right all you want.
But until that happens, I'm going to enjoy watching him play.
EBD please go back to the fucktard Cheat-stros blog you crawled out of.
Oh OK just a troll.
Nevermind, carry on.
I thought it was a serious comment for a moment there!
Also this: Montas to the IL with shoulder something. Which is a blessing for me personally. Now I don't have to think about or hear of see that wretched ersatz Montgomery.
And now, tonight, The First Night of Master Bader.
Sheesh! That just writes itself!
I'm not sure what "eyeball" test EBD is referring to. It does not look to me that Judge has a disproportionately sized head, or any body part, for that matter.
I think it was very predictable that he would have a big year in his walk year, human nature being what it is. Yankee management made a disastrously stupid miscalculation during the off season. They should've offered 400 million, and I think he would have signed. So now they're going to end up having to offer something like 600 or even 700 million, and I don't know that he signs here. (Yankee management, always penny wise and pound foolish.) And if he doesn't sign here, like a bunch of others on this blog, I might just follow Judge's new team and fuck the Yankees.
Judge is simply having a great year. It appears that he's seeing the ball great, per Phil Nevin interview. The umps have finally eased up on calling those low ankle high pitches strikes against Judge, and that has helped too. He has put everything together this year and has reached his "potential".
So @EBD...ya want to compare Bonds to Judge. Okay...
Bonds: Height 6′ 2″, Weight 228 lbs (playing weight)
Judge: Height 6′ 7″, Weight 282 lbs
Judge is a much bigger man. Because of that, he hits home runs others can't possibly hit just on his size alone. Bonds also had a much bigger head in his steroid years. Judge's head has not changed one bit.
Now if you want to suggest juicing, there was an article written that the baseballs have been juiced on FOX broadcasted games...he's had a couple but they weren't borderline home runs so that's not a factor.
Someone wrote about this J"udge Juicing" on a WFAN FB thread...maybe it's you. If so, you must be a Mets Boy then...
I'm late to the party on the whole Randy Levine/Aaron Judge thing.
Randy Levine needs to shut his mouth, and even better, be shown the door by the Yankees. He is a relic, a moron, and hurts this team with his arrogance. He seemed to suggest that Judge needs the Yankees as much as the Yankees need him. He couldn't be more wrong.
Sorry, Randy, but let's be honest -- the value of playing for the Yankees is probably lower than it's ever been. The technology has long been here that allows anybody to watch any game and follow any player as closely as they want, no matter what the old, NYC/LA-centered major media outlets believe. In the old days, Juan Soto going to the San Diego Padres would be like being elected lieutenant governor -- a ticket to anonymity. It would also likely mean a low-end contract and no endorsements. Not anymore. He's getting hundreds of millions of dollars and is still a major star.
Judge could go anywhere, make major money and still be a megastar. And if the Yankees slide into mediocrity -- likely if Judge is gone -- the Mets will dominate New York once again.
I'd love to see Yankees fans revolt. Let it be known that if the Yanks lowball Judge and let him go, they'll stop buying any Yankees merch. Let every sponsor know that they'll boycott any advertiser on the YES Network ("Anyone else but WB Mason!"). Boycott anyone who advertises on Yankees games on Amazon, Apple, Bob's Discount Streaming Service or whatever outfit pledges to throw money at Hal "I don't give a shit about baseball" Steinbrenner.
The Yankees need to sign Judge and name him team Captain. Anything else and the offseason is a failure.
@TheWW, I desperately want Stanton off the roster. Can't they just make up an injury and put him out to pasture for the remainder of the season? He will be a disaster come postseason. I can see him striking out 80% of the time.
EBD I am not going to fisk your post, my style is usually a more direct ad hominin approach. To wit: You are ugly and your mother still dresses you funny.
Steroid use was rampant in MLB and all sports during the Bonds era. There was sound evidence that McGwire used steroids when he was in high school for example. HR and runs were up all across the league. The scoring environment is the exact opposite now. HR and runs are down, and there is no ongoing scandal about the game out of control. So without evidence you suggest that Judge is the only player with the super fantastic HGH that no one else has?
Again, you argument is specious. You offer no except your own smelly and unattractive eyeballs. Go peddle your crap over at Crawfish Cheater Boxes.
Again, you are heinously ugly and malodorous. Your stench is befitting of a Cheat-stros fan and your mother has appalling taste in the clothes with which she attires you.
@BernBabyBern, Amen to that, you're spot on. They're going to have to ante up and pay whatever it takes. Because like the Knights of the Round Table were nothing without Lancelot, this Yankee team is going to be less than nothing without Aaron Judge. Man, I'd to see HAL's face when his accountants tell him that it'll take 750 million to re-sign Judge and HAL realizes that he has no choice but to re-sign him.
How's about HAL fire Randy Levine and hire Derek Jeter as the new Yankee President. And then DJ can tell Cashman exactly what to do. DJ becomes the Master of Puppets and the de facto GM. That would work for me.
Hammer, we all are forced to see The Glass Giant strike out 80% of the time. We ALL feel the same. I think he is injured. Core? Hip rotator? Anxiety disorder? (Ryne Sandburg missed a year with depression, no?) He's never EVER been this painfully bad. Or maybe he's just done. I don't know, but they cannot carry him on the post-season roster.
Not that it'll matter. These Our 2022 New York Yankees won't get out of the first round.
Barney, I mean EBD, steroids are NOT that easy to detect. Sophisticated labs can come up with new ones that can't be detected UNTIL they have some of the buildbackbetterroids in the lab.
Thing is, Judge gets a huge amount of leverage from his arms, which in turn are powered by the hip-torso separation. Ted Williams hit homers in excess of 500 feet without being a muscle-bound freak. I've put 45 years in the gym, I've seen things most of you wouldn't believe. You've a lot to learn.... And you do your own sourcing.
Is EBD's argument that Barry Bonds took PEDs, therefore Aaron Judge takes PEDs? And that ARod...that impeccable source...commented on Judge's body composition. That's te argument? Barry Bonds has a big head and ARod has a big mouth, therefore Judge us juicing? I've re-read a couple times, and that's what I got. Pretty pitiful. Maybe I'm missing something.
@EDB, I think you should exercise more caution when talking about HGH use. If you don't have any evidence, you shouldn't be pointing fingers at any particular player. There are libel and slander laws. Look at what happened to that guy who spent his time denying the Connecticut school shooting.
Barry Bonds ended up in court and what drugs he supposedly took were all over the news. There is nothing about Judge taking anything against the rules, so I suggest we leave it at that.
@EDB, 20-25% body fat would be very high for a professional athlete. That would be for a weekend warrior in decent condition. Less than 10-12% would be the norm for a professional, I think. Of course, in baseball, there are plenty of fat guys, so that can throw a wrench into the averages.
How do we attract these turds in the pool?
Rufus - we need mosquito fish to eat them.
Oh Barney, just shut up.
what does EBD stand for?
AA,
Explosive Bowel Disorder.
My avatar sees what your saying, RTF
Judge had injury problems the last few years. So this year, he's been pretty healthy. He's probably playing through small injuries. This is not unusual. Walk year economics. Players in their walk year usually put everything together to get that fat new contract.
Hell yeah, 750 million bucks will do wonders for performance!
Because peak hitting years are 28-30? Because he hasn't thrown his body around on defense like he did since he broke in? Because he's having a great season, a once in a century season.
PS, in Ruth's day balls were used until unplayable. Imagine the screaming that would go on if that was thrown into the mix....
EBD, AKA "barney" must be kept in the dungeons of Mordor, never knowing again the pleasures of even irritating the Citizens of the Blog. Nothing worse than a fool with a thesaurus and a poorly understood, barely even read book on analytics.
Come to think of it, she fits in with 80% of elected officials, their lackeys and arrogant bureaucrats of the past century. She would fill the qualifications of the latter perfectly.
Not that it matters but I was okay with EBD/Barney/Whatever until the giant leap was made that everyone on here but she or he was rooting for Aaron Judge because they didn't love Roger Maris.
I'm trying to think of the last time anyone in here ever said or hinted that they wanted Mr. Maris NOT to have the record.
I admit I missed that group of posts in 2006-2007 where everyone then active on here pretty much turned in lockstep against Roger until I was advised a few weeks ago. Damn! You guys and ladies were rough as hell on Mr. Asterisk back then. Worth a deep dive for anyone who wonders what this is really about.
Buts ince then? Not catching the Roger hate.
I'm all for free speech but I know I'm in another person's home when I arrive here, so I'll stay civil and close with: EBD, go charm a goose.
Buck's Puckered Hemorrhoid was just a troll. Picked a subject and would insult them for weeks on end. Started with Winnie I believe, but hit every regular poster here with personal attacks.
Good Riddance.
It's sad that someone has to keep showing up where they've been clearly told they're not wanted. Like they have nowhere else to go.
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