Saturday, October 28, 2023

What's that you say, Mrs. Robinson? Vaunted Yankee career postseason records are steadily vanishing

Used to be, the Yankees dominated every stat that involved October.

Now... well... here are MLB's all-time postseason HR listings 

The above list won't change this month. But over the next few Octobers, Mickey and Reggie - the greatest sluggers of a bygone era - will almost surely disappear.  

Last night, the Rangers' Adolis Garcia hit his 8th - all this month, of course. Congrats. That ties Garcia with - gulp - Joe DiMaggio. Yeah, Joe fucking DiMaggio. Over the next few Octobers, Garcia might pass Lou Gehrig, Yogi and maybe even The Babe. Babe fucking Ruth. And if he does, well, good for him. 

But the pillars of baseball history are sliding into the sea. By lengthening the postseason, and by changing the dynamics of the game, the lords of baseball have thrown overboard one of the sport's most endearing treasures - its statistical tether to the distant past. 

Well.. so be it, I guess. Read no further. Nobody wants to hear an old man complain about the new stuff. It boosts every trope about codgers, and some can assign even nastier aspects, such as the refusal to accept change. I'm just an old Yank fan, whining because his team sucked this year, forcing us to watch Texas play Arizona. 

So, here are some Yankees who miss the career postseason HR list...

Babe Ruth 15
Aaron Judge 13
Yogi Berra, 12 
Giancarlo Stanton 11
Lou Gehrig 10
Anthony Rizzo 9
Joe DiMaggio 8

Soon, the great Yankee glories of the past will simply be numbers in ether. We can call Reggie "Mr. October," but as the teams miss more postseasons, his legacy will be replaced by flashier nicknames. (Garica is "El Bombi.") Soon - maybe already? -  when fans talk about postseason HRs, the gold standard is those cheating Astro teams from the 2020s. 

So, the world turns, right? Congrats to Texas. Beat those assholes from Arizona, and I'll quit whining. 

6 comments:

  1. Duque - It's OK. Just focus on World Series HR leaders. They'll never get us.

    Mickey Mantle: 18 Home Runs
    Babe Ruth: 15 Home Runs
    Yogi Berra: 12 Home Runs
    Duke Snider: 11 Home Runs
    Lou Gehrig: 10 Home Runs
    Reggie Jackson: 10 Home Runs
    Joe DiMaggio: 8 Home Runs
    Bill Skowron: 8 Home Runs
    Frank Robinson: 8 Home Runs
    Chase Utley: 7 Home Runs

    Bwwwwaaaaaaaha!

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  2. Very fair point Doug, at least until they make the WS first team to win 10.

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  3. Yeah, BTR, that list will change dramatically once they decree movable outfield walls and fences that can come in 25 to 50 feet during the Fall Classic. More offense, better TV ratings. Or streaming money. Or something greedy.

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  4. I guess the world (of sports) is just passing us old men by quickly.

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  5. I hold with Doug!

    "Postseason" anything is a bullshit stat; like declaring batting "champs" every month. Just ignore it.

    And really, all stats have limits. There is always some mitigating factor.

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  6. There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics.

    BTW, while watching Montgomery pitching to contact. I had to wonder what Harrison Bader is doing tonight?

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