Judge rules court of public opinion
• All rise. The court of public opinion around Yankee Stadium is now in session, Aaron Judge presiding.
From fans dressed in legal robes, white wigs and waving gavels as he comes to the plate to the plethora of No. 99 sweaters, the rookie outfielder is guilty of inciting fervour in the seats and on the streets. Leading the American League with 27 homers is Exhibit A of his dominance this season: Judge leads the American League with 27 home runs, 62 RBI and a .329 batting average after Monday’s 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays. He was also voted to the MLB all-star game, showing up on nearly 4.5 million ballots.
Across the street from the main entrance of the stadium, a clerk at S and A Sports says it usually takes three years for a Yankee to really take hold of the fans’ imagination in terms of wanting his sweater number on any trinket with his name. Judge, however, appeared out of nowhere and his brand seem everywhere. A Judge sweater in pinstripes sells in the stores around the park for a tidy $99 US.
The slugger even has his own section at Yankee Stadium, the Judge’s Chambers. For a guy in Triple A a year ago, the way 2017 has unfolded is quite a story. That it’s happening next door to where the Babe, the Iron Horse, Mantle, Reggie and others made their mark also makes it larger than life in the Big Apple.
“I’m just having fun with everything,” the 6- foot-7 outfielder insisted before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays. “I’m being paid to play a kids’ game, whether I’m just on the on-deck circle, in the outfield, tossing kids a ball, talking to fans.”
Mostly, it’s game situations that bring a smile to his face and those of his teammates. On Sunday, when most of his team was silenced by the Houston Astros, manager Joe Girardi couldn’t contain his grin when Judge pounded a ball hard enough to the warning track that the right fielder couldn’t get set and a double resulted. That stretched Judge’s on- base streak to 33 consecutive starts, Jeter territory, scoring 34 runs in that stretch.
As a back- to- back rookie of the month winner, the 25-year-old became the first since Don Mattingly to be so named. He’s definitely not the green string bean Toronto manager John Gibbons remembers his staff facing at the end of last season.
“We didn’t see him a lot last year, but it looked like he chased pitches out of the zone more than I’ve seen him do this year,” Gibbons said. “We’ve approached him (the same way) a little bit earlier this year and he’s laid off those pitches. The bigger thing, he’s so big and strong, with power to all fields and he uses it. It’s the perfect year to take advantage of that short right field here (but) he’s not just going up to hit it as hard as he can. He’s a pretty good (overall) hitter.”
This series and any potential harm he causes the Jays aside, Gibbons thinks Judge is just the story New York and the game need.
“He’s j ust been on fire,” the manager said. “He’s a good young kid, a monster ( 282 pounds). To do what he’s done right away, that’s rare in this game. He’s not just a slugger. He’s a pretty good defender, he can run enough. I’m like everyone else, you can’t say enough about him.”