Aaron Judge shoulders twin responsibility of home-run record, saving Yankees

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NEW YORK – Aaron Judge has on his shoulders the responsibility of carrying the Yankees’ offense and saving the team from its worst collapse. He also looks at setting a new home-run record in a single season.

Since the beginning of August, Judge remains central to every opposing pitcher’s meeting to discuss game strategy against the Yankees’ lineup. The most common war-room discussion would look somewhat like this…

Aaron Judge? Don’t give him the chance to beat you.

Anyone else? Give it the best shot you can.

The fact that Judge is still getting pitches he can harm although the Yankees are struggling to win games regularly is a marvel of late summer that is difficult to explain.

On Monday afternoon, though, it occurred once more in a crucial moment for the Yankees‘ game against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium.

When Judge was up to bat in the sixth inning of a game that was tied at the time, right-handed pitcher Trevor Megill allowed Judge to hit his 54th home run of the season into the left-field second deck.

“Just gets more and more amazing what he’s doing,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Judge hit his eighth home run in his last 13 games, which helped the Yankees win 5-2 on Labor Day in front of 38,446 people.

“It’s getting hard to put into words what he’s doing. Just a special season he’s in the midst of.”

Aaron Judge and the greatest Yankees in franchise history

The most recent home run that Judge hit put him in an exclusive club. In the history of the Yankees, he is now one of the top four single-season home run leaders, trailing only Roger Maris’ 1961 record of 61 homers.

Judge needs eight more home runs in 27 games before he can surpass at that record number. But he has already joined the ranks of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Alex Rodriguez, all of whom have hit 54 home runs in a single season.

Next on the list of all-time home run totals for a franchise is Babe Ruth’s 59 in 1921, which is followed by the Bambino’s 60 in 1927.

Judge always gives the same answer when asked what it means: “It’s just not that important to me.” This is because he is focused on winning the AL East right now.

“It’s not about me.”

Oh, but the record is certainly what everyone wants.

The MVP speech delivered by Aaron Judge

At this moment in time, Judge’s caliber to become the AL MVP receives wide support not because of any staggering statistics but for a straightforward fact. He is dragging a lineup full of “dead weight” in a pennant race.

And the only reason it’s even a race is because of the team’s injury-plagued and absent offense, which may soon be without Giancarlo Stanton for an extended period.

After fouling a pitch off his left foot, near the ankle, Stanton’s condition is on regular checkup. The preliminary x-rays came back negative, but other than that, there’s not much else to report.

Stanton went 0-for-3 on Monday, which made his 3-for-36 slump even longer. On the same day, DJ LeMahieu, who was in a 1-for-31 slump, was rested because of a foot problem that might need surgery in the offseason.

Andrew Benintendi will have surgery on his right hand on Tuesday to fix a broken hamate bone. The Yankees are still hopeful that he’ll be back in time for the playoffs, though.

Judge Remains Focused

While Anthony Rizzo (lower back) was still being cared for, the Yankees’ lineup had averaged 2.3 runs per game in their last nine games, but they had lost seven of them.

Before Josh Donaldson’s RBI double off the left-field wall in the first inning, they were 4 for 49 with runners in scoring position. Donaldson was thrown out at second base after doing his home run trot.

Judge went 2-for-3, walked once, and hit a home run on Monday. Over his last seven games, he has hit five home runs and has a slash line of .478/.586/.1217.

“It’s hard for me to just hit one,’’ said Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who collected his second homer of the year Monday. “(Judge) gets one or two pitches a game’’ to inflict damage.

However, Judge claims that he hasn’t noticed if he’s getting fewer pitches to drive in recent times. He says this although there have been fewer pitches.

“I try to focus on my plan,” Judge said. He didn’t want to talk about home run records or the huge contract he’s likely to get soon.

The all-for-one attitude of Judge

Judge’s answer came on Monday, right after his old friend Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer off Jameson Taillon in his first game as an opponent at Yankee Stadium. The ball went about 473 feet.

In response to a flat slider that buzzed him up and in, Judge hit on a hanging slider that Megill threw him at 3-1.

“It’s just fun to show up and watch him play every day,’’ said Taillon, where “one swing of the bat can change a game.’’

There was another round of “M-V-P’’ chants.

“He’s our leader,’’ said IKF. “Everybody feeds off his energy.’’

“He’s genuinely just that, invested in everybody,’’ said Taillon.

As for every home run moving Judge closer to history, “he’s equipped for all that,’’ Boone said. “I don’t think it matters. He’s focused on winning.’’

If Judge can put his business dealings with contracts to the side, he will be able to concentrate on both breaking Maris’ record and helping the Yankees cross the finish line first.

“Just trying to do what I can every single day … whether that’s moving a guy over, driving in a guy, or making a play on defense.’’

Or blasting another home run that puts you in the lead.

When do you think Aaron Judge will get his hand on the record?

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