CRANK AARON!
No mercy as Judge belts 2 more HRs
AARON Judge looked as uncomfortable fielding the question as Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez did when a CNBC reporter asked them about the status of their non-existent friendship earlier Tuesday. Do you see any similarities between yourself and Derek Jeter?
On the field, however, Judge appeared unfazed, rising to the occasion and handling all the increased pressure and expectations that come with being compared to an all-time Yankee great with ease. “That’s tough to say,” Judge replied to the YES Network before answering with arguably the best performance of his young career on Tuesday night.
He belted two more homers to give himself a major-league high 12 in the Yankees’ 11-5 victory over the Blue Jays before 30,058 at Yankee Stadium.
“I don’t know,” Judge continued. “Jeter was always a great player on and off the field, played the game the right way, always hustled. I don’t know. Do you see any comparisons? That’s a tough question for me.”
In 83 at-bats this season, Judge is hitting .313/.424/.795 with 12 homers, 25 RBI and 26 strikeouts. In 84 at-bats last season, he hit .179/.263/.345 with four homers, 10 RBIs and 42 strikeouts. The 24-year-old needed to make some adjustments to his swing, cut down on his K’s and get his confidence back during the offseason. And he did just that, winning the starting job in right field and going on a seemingly unfathomable tear to start the 2017 campaign as a result. “I mean, it’s been extremely impressive. He’s just been a complete player,” Joe Girardi said. “I expected him to improve, but I don’t think you expect anyone really — or too many players really — to hit 10 home runs in a month and then start to carry it over to the next month. You put those numbers together over a year and you’re talking 60 home runs (Judge is on-pace for 78, which would be five more than Barry Bonds).”
It all prompted Girardi on Monday to compare Judge to Jeter after being asked about the way Judge carries himself. “He plays to win all the time and that’s the most important thing,” Girardi said. “I understand that’s a big comparison, but I remember Derek when he was young. He grew into that leadership role.”
So of course Judge homered over the 314 sign in right off Mat Latos in the third inning and made a
diving catch to rob Jose Bautista of a potential extrabase hit in the fourth. It was all rather Jeterian of him. Granted, Judge also shattered a flatscreen TV in the left-center field terrace bar during batting practice and joined Alex Rodriguez (2007) and Babe Ruth (1921) as the only players in Yankees history to slug 12 homers in the team’s first 25 games when he belted a three-run shot to left in the seventh, capping off an impressive 10-pitch at-bat against Jason Grilli.
Jeter — an incredible opposite-field contact hitter with 3,465 career hits to his future Hall of Fame name — can’t say that.
The crowd booed Toronto lefty Aaron Loop following Judge’s four-pitch walk in the eighth — his second walk of the night — after it chanted “MVP! MVP! MVP!” If only Judge could’ve gotten just one more pitch to hit. Instead, Loop smartly wanted nothing to do with him. So Judge’s firstcareer three homer game will have to wait.
“It’s great. Fans are excited,” Judge said of being flattered by the “MVP!” chants. “We had a big lead, and they were going a little crazy.”
The Captain was asked about Judge’s remarkable run by The YES Network. Jeter immediately noticed the 6-foot-7, 282-pounder’s willingness to learn when they met at his Captain’s Camp dinner during spring training two years ago.
“Aaron was always listening,” Jeter said, while adding that many young players already think they know it all. “And I’m happy to see that he’s having success. And you want him to continue to have success, because the more success you have, the higher the expectations are. The good thing about him is you can tell from his demeanor and his attitude that he wants to improve, he wants to be better and he handles himself the right way — not only on the field, but off the field — so I’m a fan of his.”
The Yankees are 6-9 despite Greg Bird (10-day disabled list) and Gary Sanchez (expected back Friday) going a combined 9-for-80. Judge has been at the center of it all, quickly becoming must-see TV. No. 2 doesn’t think No. 99 should be called Aaron Jeter, however. “I never liked to be compared to people because I think you’re your own person, so I would say let him be his own person,” Jeter said.
“I’m a little taller and bigger than he is,” Jeter joked. “But we’re completely different players, so I’d just say let him be Aaron Judge.”
Sounds good, Derek.