Judge doesn’t need to pass Maris in all-time season

It’s already been almost a week since Aaron Judge hit number 61 to tie Roger Maris for the American League home run record.

After going eight games without a home run, Judge connected for his 61st of the season off Blue Jays reliever Tim Mayza in the top of the seventh inning for the record-tying go-ahead two-run homer at the old Sky Dome in Toronto.

At 30, Judge has had a season for the ages. In a contract year after wisely turning down the leaked $213 million offer from the Yankees, the consensus AL MVP has put together an all-time year that will be remembered.

Although he’s been unable to pass Maris for 62 with three games remaining, it’s hard to get past the number 61 in his baseball statistics on baseball-reference.com. There’s a wow factor involved. That he’s hitting .311 with 61 home runs and 130 RBI with a 1.116 OPS and mind-boggling 10.5 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), speaks to how special he’s been.

Without the brilliant performance by Judge, where would the Yankees be? Even though they recovered to put away the AL East by wrapping it up in Toronto, they nearly squandered a 15.5 game lead. However, Judge refused to let them blow it. He also finally got help from a resurgent Gleyber Torres, who came on strong in September after having a miserable July and August.

Since they started winning again, the Yankees have gotten key contributions from Anthony Rizzo, Harrison Bader, Kyle Higashioka, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and rookie Osvaldo Cabrera. Even Aaron Hicks came up with some big hits down the stretch. If it’s a choice between the veteran who’s no longer a lock at the plate or in the field and the very reliable Cabrera, Aaron Boone must go with the more versatile rookie who hasn’t looked out of place. He plays with confidence in the field and at the plate.

Would 100 wins be possible without Judge? We know the answer. Especially in another injury riddled year for Giancarlo Stanton. He really struggled after he returned. Most recently, Stanton has delivered a couple of big blows including a walk-off grand slam in a memorable home win after Judge tied Babe Ruth with his 60th home run. He hit number 30 in a 3-1 win over the Rangers in Texas on Monday night.

A game that saw Luis Severino no-hit the Rangers for seven innings. He only allowed one base runner with a walk while fanning seven. He left after seven having thrown 93 pitches including 66 for strikes. An outstanding performance for Sevy. Had it been a different circumstance, Boone leaves him in for the eighth. He’s only been back for three weeks. So, thinking big picture makes sense.

While the Yankees are getting more from a number of players, they still don’t have a closer. With Clay Holmes out for the remainder of the season with his status for the postseason up in the air, it’s anyone’s guess who Boone will use for the ninth inning to close out the big games starting next week in the ALDS.

Boone has leaned on a mixture of relievers he trusts. They include long man Clarke Schmidt, Ron Marinaccio, Lou Trivino, Scott Effross, Jonathan Loaisiga, Lucas Luetge and Wandy Peralta. If they get Peralta back for the playoffs, maybe the erratic Aroldis Chapman is left off the postseason roster. He no longer can be trusted due to command issues. He will not be back next year.

Boone has done a good job mixing and matching. Somehow, it’s worked. Will not having a defined closer hurt the Yankees’ chances? Or is it really about whether Gerrit Cole can deliver in October. The anointed “ace” in name has been prone to the bad inning where he falls apart. How much faith do Yankee fans have in the $324 million man?

Nestor Cortes has been better. He finished with 11 strikeouts in his final start to wind up 12-4 with a 2.44 earned run average (ERA). Many fans believe he should get the ball for Game One. That’s how consistent he’s been. Even Jameson Taillon finished strong. He will likely be the fourth starter in the playoff rotation.

We know they’ll never do it. So, it’s up to Cole to prove he can still be the ace. He gets paid a lot of money. We know the stuff is there. Will his mental state allow him to dominate when the team needs it most? The likely rotation is Cole, Cortes, Severino and Taillon with Domingo German going to the bullpen.

As far as Judge’s chase for number 62 goes, if it happens great. If not, he already made significant history by tying Ruth with 60 in less than 154 games. He tied Maris 61 years later with number 61 in game 155. It took Maris until game 163 in ’61. The memorable home run came against Boston at the original Yankee Stadium on Oct. 1, 1961. We’ve all heard Phil Rizzuto’s call.

“This could be it. Holy cow! He did it!”

There was no one like the Scooter. I still miss him calling games on the old WPIX Channel 11 with Bill White and Tom Seaver. Then eventually the very popular Bobby Murcer. Those were fun times growing up. It’s too bad they no longer have Yankee games on what’s now the current CW. At least the Mets are occasionally on there. Free TV. What a concept in today’s modernization of streaming with Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

When I think of how tough Judge has been pitched since he hit numbers 58 and 59 at Milwaukee, it’s amazing that he even reached 61. The attention on him has been insane. He says the right thing. He’s all about the team concept. Winning is all that matters to him. Even with his parents and Roger Maris, Jr watching, he has tried not to go out of the zone. That’s resulted in a lot of walks. The most in the AL.

At .311, he trails Luis Arraez by four points for the batting title. Of course, the Twins have rested Arraez the last two games with some phantom injury. It reminds me of Wade Boggs in ’86 when he sat out a doubleheader at Fenway Park against the Yankees. Don Mattingly had a big two games and actually got cheered by the appreciative Red Sox crowd. He came up short for the batting crown finishing at .352. Five points behind Boggs.

The Yankees play two later today. One at 2 PM and the second at 8 PM. Weather permitting. Judge will probably need at least four hits to put pressure on Arraez. That assumes he isn’t pitched around. He bats lead-off. Something I never thought I’d see. But he’s made it work. We’ll see if the Texas pitchers actually go after him.

Whatever happens today and tomorrow, Aaron Judge has been remarkable this season. All the more poetic it’s 61 years later that he’s tied Maris with 61 when he bested Ruth’s record in ’61. That’s the magic number. Will it include 62? We’ll see.

No matter what, the Yankees are going to the postseason. They have a bye into the ALDS. They’ll await the winner between the Rays and Indians. I refuse to call Cleveland by any other name. That’s who they are.

The other match-up looks like the Mariners and Blue Jays for the chance to play the AL best Astros. If that’s the setup, sign me up.

Let’s enjoy the final two days of a great regular season.

It’s Time for Baseball To Come Back

The crack of the bat is one of the best things about baseball. Especially when a batter gets a hold of one. Excited fans stand up in anticipation of the ball clearing the fence for a home run. Broadcasters get pumped up calling it.

Ah. On this hot summer day in June that commemorates D Day, it feels weird not to have baseball on to watch. Sure. They wouldn’t quite be back yet due to the Coronavirus. However, it’s about time the two sides put their pride aside. The owners and players need to reach agreement for at least half a season. Not 40 games as the owners are pushing. Not 114 like the players want. But a cool 81 would do the trick.

If only the owners weren’t such cheapskates. The players are right about wanting their salaries to be prorated. If they play X amount of games, it should be 162 divided by said number equaling what they should get paid. End of discussion.

I think the owners are being stubborn due to the uncertainty surrounding where the games would be played. No attendance or concessions with different destinations likely hurt the bottom line. However, the players make up the game. They’re the product fans cough up money to go see. Why shouldn’t they get their fair share? If Mike Trout is the game’s best player and would normally get a shade over $37 million from the Angels, then he should get half that salary if he plays 81 games in an abbreviated season.

That’s how it should be. The longer the two sides go without agreeing to a deal that would allow there to be a season, the less likely there will be baseball. That would be devastating to the sport. If they thought 1994 was bad, think again. The damage that was done when that potential great season was canceled following the players strike on August 12 was astronomical. It took scabs (replacement players) for the two sides to come together and end the dispute on April 2, 1995.

The appeal of the home run brought fans back. Even though MLB turned a blind eye to the cheating going on with Herculean superstars using performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) to increase their power and numbers. It hit its peak in the Summer of ’98 when Mark McGwire outdueled Sammy Sosa to break Roger Maris’ single season record of 61 homers hit in 1961 for the Yankees. One half of the M&M Boys featuring the great Mickey Mantle, Maris bested legendary Babe Ruth’s 60 dingers hit in 1927. He did it without any help. Plus Mantle missed the final week of the season to end with 54 homers. You can still hear Phil Rizzuto saying, “Holy cow. He did it!”

In 1998, McGwire crushed 70 home runs while Sosa finished with 66. Both were later revealed to have done it with PED’s. So much attention was given to their home run race that it influenced the game’s best player Barry Bonds to cheat. Even though he was never caught, it was painfully obvious to everyone that he used performance enhancers when he shattered the record with a jaw dropping 73 homers in ’01 for the Giants.

The thing about Bonds is he never needed steroids to be great. He already was a three time National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) winning the award twice as a Pirate and once as a Giant within a four year span between 1990-93. He was a Gold Glove left fielder who also joined Jose Canseco as a 40/40 member by hitting 42 homers and stealing 40 bases in ’96. Despite that accomplishment, he finished fifth for MVP. Admitted cheater Ken Caminiti won it by slugging 40 dingers and knocking in 130 for the Padres as a third baseman. Mike Piazza was runner-up with Ellis Burks third and Chipper Jones fourth. If you’re wondering, Bonds had a higher OPS with a 1.076. Only Gary Sheffield was better winding up at 1.090 on the Marlins. Bonds also led in Wins Above Replacement (WAR) with a gaudy 9.7. Caminiti received all 28 first place votes to easily outdistance Piazza, who was unbelievable for the Dodgers as a slugging catcher before winding up a Met.

It’s funny looking back on that Era now. You sure had your share of great players such as Bonds, Ken Griffey, Jr, Albert Belle, Frank Thomas, Juan Gonzalez, Chipper Jones, Piazza, Sheffield, a young Alex Rodriguez, Ivan Rodriguez, Mo Vaughn, Tony Gwynn, Edgar Martinez, Jim Thome, Roberto Alomar, Manny Ramirez, Barry Larkin, Cal Ripken, Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra. Your dominant pitchers like Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens (PED’s), John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Pedro Martinez, Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman.

Baseball has always boasted plenty of star power. Even with more of an emphasis on launch angle and exit velocity, you still have Trout, who does everything right including play a great center field. A three time American League (AL) MVP, who’s dominated the sport since running away with Rookie of the Year at age 20 in 2012, Jersey Mike is by far the best player in the sport. He can hit for average, power, steal bases and drive in runs while playing outstanding defense. Unfortunately, he’s never won a Gold Glove due to stiff competition. Maybe Mookie Betts moving to Los Angeles will finally change that. The AL has always boasted plenty of great outfielders. Jackie Bradley, Jr isn’t a consistent hitter, but he’s a remarkable center fielder.

Aside from Trout, who certainly takes his share of walks, Aaron Judge is a terrific athlete who is a superb right fielder for the Yankees. He’s never won a Gold Glove either despite being able to make great plays with the glove and throw out runners with a huge arm. Injuries haven’t helped since his monster 2017 when he set a rookie record with 52 home runs. Pete Alonso broke it last year for the Mets by slugging 53 to easily win the NL’s top rookie. Both popular New York righty sluggers strike out a ton. But that’s how the game is these days. At least each draws walks. It’ll be interesting to follow each during their careers.

I’d much rather be talking about who’s on the schedule for the Yankees than racial injustice or a pandemic that’s been ignored due to the last week. It would certainly be more fun and positive. Sports are great. As good as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs is, baseball still is great during the summer heat wave. For 162 games, you go through an emotional rollercoaster. It would be nice to have America’s pastime back.

We are looking at playoff hockey starting in mid July with it probably not concluding until late September due to the 24 team tournament with preliminaries that include the Rangers battling the Hurricanes in a best of five series. There will be NBA basketball at the end of July with Game Seven of the Finals not until October 12. That’s absurd. But this is the reality due to COVID-19. No league wants to lose that all important revenue.

Imagine if you have all four major sports going on at the same time this Fall. It could happen. If football starts on time and baseball returns, you really could see it. It sure would make up for lost time. That doesn’t include tennis, which I badly miss. Hard to believe there’s no Wimbledon. What a bummer. Will the rest of the season get wiped out including a later US Open and French this autumn? Who knows.

You do have Nascar back without fans. Golf will return soon. It’s gonna be weird. However, without baseball during the hot days of July and August, it wouldn’t feel right. They need to swallow some of their pride and get it done. Do the right thing.

We miss those web gems and the great pitches from the likes of Jacob de Grom, Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Stephen Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw, etc.

Who wants to miss a entire season? Not me. The fans need it back.