I direct your attention to the perplexing set of numbers to your immediate right. If you or a loved-one is prone towards leakage or speaking in tongues, I suggest that you avert your eyes from this bottleneck, the official Yankee batting stats for the last 30 days.
It shows a lineup that YES sideshow barkers have for three months assured us was on the verge of breaking out. Any day now, the Yankees would start percolating, and the team would chase down Tampa, which leads by four games with 19 to play.
For three months, ever since spiritual leader Aaron Judge went down with a splintered rib, we've heard how the Yankee ship was ready to fly. Austin Wells would recover his stroke. Jazz Chisholm would heat up. Spencer Jones would learn, and Ryan McMahon would, well, do something. All they needed was Giancarlo Judge.
Well, guess what...
It's been happening all along. It just didn't matter. Consider Wells. Over the last 30 days, he's hitting .224. People, that's no slump. That's Austin Wells. If we're lucky, he hits his weight and strides blindfolded into a few belt-high meatballs. As for Jazz? Believe it or not, Mr. Lollipop has been hitting .303. Remember how Paul Goldschmidt, at 38, looked five years past his milk carton sell-by date? Statistically, he's had a solid four weeks.
The numbers suggest the Yankees have hit. But we all know better.
The problem wasn't a dearth of hits. It was our inability to hit when it matters.
A few times, in games out of reach, the Yankees have unlimbered on dead-armed bullpen lug nuts and a Boston position player. But load the bases with nobody out and something would go blooey. Nobody in our batting order forced other managers to prepare for, two innings in advance.
Tonight, that changes. Hopefully.
Tonight, that massive Yankee payload of pressure returns to the big bat that's been missing since May. As a result, every Yankee should not only see more hittable pitches but feel less like the world depends on them.
Over the next 30 days, Aaron Judge does not need to hit 10 HRs.
He just needs to hit when it matters. That's all.
P.S. I direct your attention to Hoss's piece below. Brilliant, as always.
Head Clown Aaron Boone has reportedly told the press that he expects Judge to "do a good job protecting himself" in the outfield and that Judge should be "selective" about when to dive for balls. https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/yankees_want_aaron_judge_to_make_1_change/s1_127_44268681
ReplyDeleteIf he had any modicum of sense, Boone would order Judge NEVER to dive for balls. (True, if Judge does disobey the order, what are you going to do?) You have to call him into the manager's office and have a sit down session. Explain that Joe DiMaggio never dove for a ball in his entire career, which ain't because Joe D was God. It was Joe D protecting himself, being smart, realizing that the Yankees need him in the lineup every day and not on the disabled list for half a season. If Boone had any modicum of sense, he would have done that years ago. Our manager is a deaf, dumb and blind kid, who SURE PLAYS A MEAN PIN-BALL!
Let’s temper our expectations for Judge. I find it very selfish of him to refuse a rehab stint at SWB, and I think that will be reflected in his level of play the first week back. I guess the team feels confident enough of our playoff chances to treat the next 7-10 days as his rehab stint.
ReplyDeleteIs it selfishness or dedication/team spirit? He thinks he's ready to go. 65% of Judge is better than 100% of Heliot, Rosario, or Goldschmidt, right? I'm with you about tempered expectations, though. Judge runs hot and cold. Probability is very high that he'll come back ice cold. He might even get zero hits through the end of the regular season. I remember that recent season, was it 2024 or 2025, where he started out cold as ice, flat as a pancake.
DeleteLate in the season, until you clinch the playoffs, every game becomes "the most important game of the season". And so the Bronx Bastards better win today. If they lose, the probability of losing two of three or worse, getting swept by the lowly Rockies, goes up astronomically. Cam Schlittler is pitching for the Bastards, and Colorado is throwing a guy with a 6 ERA. Win _ the _ fucking _ game.
ReplyDeleteBTR - Agree, we should temper but that said, two things...
ReplyDelete1) Colorado doesn't have a staff full of aces so coming back and facing them at home isn't that much different from playing in the minors. It's not like they are throwing him against Dylan Cease.
2) This sends Ramos to the bench. I'd rather give the at-bats to Judge because the result shouldn't be any worse and are most likely better.
Plus, with 19 games left (or less?) Judge needs to get back into the swing of things as a Yankee. (Pun intended). Losing a week to the minors doesn't benefit him in the short time remaining..
(1) good point, but betcha he still struggles to get a hit
DeleteI don't know that Judge will be any better prepared by playing 2-3 rehab games in the minors. Well, maybe defensively, it would benefit him. But with the bat? Even if he plays a few games in the minors, I think he'll still come back here and be ice cold for a long while. So I can't knock him for not playing any minor league rehab games.
ReplyDeleteThis being baseball, though, it's really tough to predict. Who the hell knows?
ReplyDeleteSpock: Captain, it's never been done before. It's just a theory. We have a 1 in 10,000 chance of it working.
Kirk: Spock ... we've got ... to take ... that ... 1 in ... 10,000 chance....
We are in Peru. Just got in to Machu Picchu by train. We have dropped down to 8,000 feet. I can breathe a little now.
ReplyDeleteThis is why the original inhabitants chewed coca leaves, Win. However, the altitude does make it hard to enjoy a good smoke.
DeleteHammer, I think you're mistaken about Joe D. He didn't dive because he didn't have to. He was known by his teammates for his amazing ability to judge and time hit baseballs. He made catches that, in his day, nobody else could make. Like Fred Astaire or Bing Crosby, he made it look easy because of his great talent. He would never dive for image reasons, too. The Great DiMag was first class with a perfect presentation. But as I've said, he had the gifts to be able to do it.
ReplyDeleteYes, so they say. But I have a hard time believing that he would not have caught even more balls by diving. I mean, no matter how good you are, there's always one more fly ball or liner that you might be able to catch by diving, as opposed to not diving. It does extend your range, is what I mean. Of course, though, not diving is smarter. You don't risk getting hurt. The more talented a hitter you are, the less you should be diving and risking yourself. I've no problem with Joe D never diving. He was smart. And Judge should emulate that.
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