Yankees' Championship No Consideration When Judging Judge
With the Yankees nursing a 2-0 lead in Monday night’s fourth inning, Washington’s middle of the order looked to do some damage versus hittable lefty Nestor Cortes. They had a runner on first with one out when first baseman Andres Chaparro sent a meaty 1-2 pitch deep to center field.
But when the Yankees get into trouble, it’s nice to know they have a Judge on their side, as in Aaron Judge.
The greatest ballplayer in the game got on his horse and tracked the ball to the wall. Judge then leaped, using his full 6-foot 7 wingspan to snare it at the top to take away a game-tying home run.
The play wasn’t over. Judge threw a strike to second baseman Gleyber Torres, who then relayed it to DJ LeMahieu for the inning-ending double play in a game New York would go on to win, 5-2.
As Judge headed to the Yankees dugout, he was serenaded with loud chants of “MVP!”
In Washington.
Now, I was among a healthy contingent of Yankees fans at the ballpark, but I can attest that even the Nationals faithful had a deep respect for the magnitude of what they were witnessing.
Judge is in the midst of the best season in baseball’s history. And strangely, perhaps due to all of MLB’s self-inflicted wounds, I don’t think it has been touted enough. We are watching Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Tiger Woods, et al in his prime. Judge’s at bats are must-see TV, only with a mostly regional audience, if they can find where it is shown.
How can that lofty ranking be, well, judged? It’s always debatable given baseball’s apples-and-oranges differences in eras. However, you can ding Babe Ruth—and Ted Williams at his apex—for having to face only white opponents and neither had Judge’s prowess in the field. Joe DiMaggio and Willie Mays were also five-tool players, but I would argue neither ever matched Judge’s numbers in any one season. Roger Maris hit .269 when he went for 61 in 1961.
As for Barry Bonds, he hit 73 homers in 2001 when the bodies and balls were juiced. Sammy Sosa’s 64 knocks that season were an afterthought. As far as we know, Judge is performing superhuman feats without advanced technology. Unlike Bonds or 70-homer Mark McGwire three years earlier, Judge’s hat size hasn’t noticeably grown.
Judge’s AL-record setting 62-homer campaign two seasons ago was just a primer. I believe he’s significantly better now in terms of plate discipline and using all fields. His stats this season are beyond staggering. He leads the majors in home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and (obviously) on-base plus slugging percentage. He’s also second in batting average and third in runs scored. Judge’s .465 OBP is a whopping 38 points over teammate Juan Soto’s and no other player has topped.400.
Judge’s last 102 games (he got off to a very slow start) have been as dominant as anyone in any era. 47 homers, 109 RBIs, 95 runs scored, an insane.377/.506/.844 slash line—all while mostly manning an important defensive position.
Even in a relatively low-impact night at the plate on Monday, Judge still managed to reach base twice in five plate appearances, including a laced opposite field single in the ninth inning for his 1,000th career hit.
The sad thing is that folks are already preparing to dismiss Judge’s journey to historic achievements should the Yankees fail to win their 28th World Series title in October. Never mind that baseball is unique in that it limits opportunities for any player to singlehandedly determine outcomes. Bonds’ 2001 Giants didn’t even reach the postseason. Hitters can’t just demand the ball/puck like MJ or Wayne Gretzky could. Judge might get four or five plate appearances on any given night. Based on past percentages, he likely won’t get a chance to swing the bat on one of those PAs, as he has been walked 107 times, including 16 times intentionally.
And the Yankees, like any team this season, are flawed. They may lead the AL, but inconsistent pitching threatens to doom their pursuit.
When evaluating Judge’s season, though, a championship should not be the end-all measuring stick. Ask anyone who attended Monday’s game in Washington. Fans from both sides knew greatness when they saw it.