The combination of Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton did their thing, but it wasn’t enough to power the New York Yankees to a win in the American League Wildcard Game.
The 37-foot high Green Monster proved to be Stanton’s worst enemy last night as just 15 feet came between him and a three-homer game that would have entirely flipped the script in the one-game, play-in against Boston, a 6-2 loss to the Red Sox at Fenway Park.
In his first at bat, everyone tuned in, including Stanton himself who broke into a home run trot thinking he had gotten one to the seats. Instead, it was just a loud two-out single and Stanton would end up not scoring in the first inning.
Stanton’s third at-bat in the game is going to be the talk of the town for a long time.
There was one hit out in the six inning which would have been a home run in 11 of the 30 Major League ballparks off the top of the Monster.
Judge, who legged out a one-out single to get to first, was thrown out at home on the play after a little confusion between him and his third base coach.
Giancarlo Stanton has missed two home runs over the Green Monster by about 15 combined feet tonight. pic.twitter.com/OL4f8fKeCY
Judge had previously homered in three winner-take-all postseason games during his career which is tied for the most all-time, but he failed to hit one Monday, going just 1-for-4.
Judge ends his All-Star season with 39 home runs, a .287 batting average, .916 OPS and leading the league in average Exit Velocity.
He’s closing in on contract time as he’s entering arbitration this off-season and then becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2023. He and Stanton were the Yankees’ entire offense and they need to cash him out now while adding other pieces around them.
Stanton had his best season since he won the 2017 National League MVP and gave a curtain call with a home run in the ninth inning to close out his 3-for-4 night.
He ends the season with 35 bombs, a .273 average and 97 RBI.
The playoffs are here and a group of MLBbros are set to be major factors in this year’s race to the World Series trophy.
Here are our #HighFive Bros that need to step up in October.
1. Mookie Betts
Mookie Betts and the Dodgers are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back World Series since the Yankees completed a three peat from 1998 to 2000.
Statistics would tell you it has been a “down” year for Betts whose .266 batting average is his lowest since 2017. But those are the type of expectations burdened by superstars of his caliber. Betts ended his All-Star season with 23 home runs, 58 RBI and an .854 OPS. His Dodgers will take on the Cardinals in a Wild Card play-in game and should they win, they would meet their divisional rivals over in The Bay.
Betts batted .269 with an .898 OPS, two home runs, two doubles and five runs scored in last year’s World Series It was the second time Betts was able to earn some bling as he won with the Red Sox in 2018.
Even when Betts isn’t hitting at the top of his game, the game saving catches he provides defensively will be a major factor in October. The Cardinals are no joke, and neither are the 107-win Giants, so the Dodgers will need their stars to be stars and show up when needed most.
Jack Flaherty
Jack Flaherty was on his way to joining the Black Ace club of 20 game winners before injuries put a stop to his 2021 season. It’s taken him some time to get back to form, but now the Cardinals plan on using him as a convertible piece in their bullpen.
Last Wednesday Flaherty made his first relief appearance since 2017.
Teams typically shorten their rotations in the postseason so it’s not surprising the Cardinals choose Flaherty for the role since he missed so much time with injury. The MLBbro hurler worked a clean inning on the last day of the season, striking out two Cubs batters. He had a 3.22 ERA to go along with 85 strikeouts on the season.
It is expected that the Cardinals would use Flaherty first out of the bullpen in the Wild Card game behind probable starter Adam Wainwright.
Lorenzo Cain
Lo Cain finds himself back in the playoffs for the first time since his magical World Series run with the Kansas City Royals in 2015. Cain won an ALCS MVP award after posting a .533 batting average, the highest batting average for a postseason series in Royals history.
These days Cain is patrolling center field for the Milwaukee Brewers who may have the best pitching staff, top to bottom, in the league. His defense and leadership will give the Brew Crew a postseason
Cain has more experience playing October baseball than most, so it’s important he can cash in on his opportunities at the plate and in the field.
Tim Anderson
Tim Anderson has done everything asked of him this season when it comes to being one of the faces of baseball. Now we’re going to get to see him perform when the pressure is at its highest.
Anderson and the White Sox made the playoffs last season but failed to advance past the first round. Now, they have the chance to change the narrative and own the Windy City when it comes to baseball.
In his postseason career Anderson has a .643 batting average, a 1.429 OPS and two runs scored.
Let’s see if the liberal media @mlb will post this. Slide of the year from Tim Anderson! “Javi” could never pic.twitter.com/BtL08bOugE
The series between the Astros and White Sox may be the most intriguing we will see this week, and I can guarantee T.A. is ready for it.
LaMonte Wade Jr.
Late night LaMonte is going to be thrown right into the middle of the postseason fire this year after the Giants starting first baseman broke his thumb.
Wade’s shown up all year for San Francisco whether it be when he was in right field or at first. Wade is batting .253 this season with 18 home runs, 56 RBI and six stolen bases.
Wade is one of many unsung heroes this season for a Giants team that shocked the baseball world by having the best record in the Majors this season. I cannot wait to see this MLBbro represent in the Bay Area, especially late in games when he seems to show up most.
ALL RISE !!!! Every game counts in a tight American League Wild Card race and Aaron Judge came through again for the Yankees, slugging two homers in a crucial 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays to remain in control as we come down the wire.
Aaron Judge put the ball in the New York Yankees’ court this season, and with his contract set to expire soon, it’s time for them to cash him out with a major deal. Judge has had a special 2021 season and in doing so has put the Yankees’ front office on notice: It’s time for them to pay up.
You saw Judge’s worth Tuesday night when he hit a game-tying home run against the Toronto Blue Jays to start a big three-game series. He’s had a ton of big hits this season.
And best of all, for the most part, Judge finally avoided the injury bug after being hampered by it over the last few years. He matched his career-high for batting average and doubles while also having the second-highest total of home runs, total bases, RBI, and runs scored in his career.
It’s not hard to tell Judge’s impact on the Yankee roster when you look at their stat sheet, because he leads in nearly every category. No player has played in more games, recorded more hits, hit more doubles or home runs has a higher on-base percentage, slugging percentage or OPS, and higher WAR than him. The only player that comes close in a few categories is Giancarlo Stanton, and he himself has been one of the best hitters in baseball during the second half of the season.
Judge started the third All-Star Game of his career this season, yet has never made much over $10,000,000 in any season. This summer, he is scheduled to go through arbitration and in 2023, he’ll officially be a free agent.
“The ball is kind of in their court,” said Judge to reporters. “I am just a player. I just do my job every day. I am not going to go running to anybody to say “Let’s talk about this.” That’s their job to do, that’s what they get paid for. I’m getting paid to be out there on the field.”
Aaron Judge was asked what he tells kids that he meets that were also adopted
"I just try to remind them how lucky they are… People may say things… But that doesn't matter." pic.twitter.com/GnYlBNII84
Well, Yankees’ general manager Brian Cashman, it’s time to do your job and pay Judge what he is owed.
With multiple big-money shortstops on the market this off-season, I have no doubts that the Yankees will open their checkbook to acquire one of them, but why not do the same for the guy that has been holding your lineup down since the retirement of Derek Jeter?
Judge will be 30 by the time he hits free agency, so a deal similar to that of Fernando Tatis’ (14-year $330M) may not be best for New York’s sake, but something along the lines of $150-$200 million for at least a three or four-year span may be what it takes to make him a Yankee for life.
The Judge is ruling over right field! Making his third All-Star game @TheJudge44 has been on a hot streak 🔥 Batting .282 with 21 homers and 47 RBIs the former HR Derby champ is prepared to launch one into the Rockies tonight 🗻 pic.twitter.com/Fc1wV7ut8k
Before this season, Judge was ranked as the 21st best player in the Majors according to MLB Network. Fast forward to September 2021 and I guarantee you cannot show me even 10 players that you would rather have on your roster over him. He’s going to finish in the Top 5 in the American League in MVP voting and might have been able to make his case for winning the award if not for the seasons of Shohei Ohtani and Vlad Guerrero Jr.
Judge has the opportunity to show Yankees Nation he is with all the smoke that comes with October baseball. If he is able to carry the Yankees into the postseason and on a run for the World Series title, their front office is going to have to hand him a pen and a blank check.
The Bronx Bombers meet the Toronto Blue Jays tonight to begin a critical three-game series that could eliminate the Jays from the Wild Card hunt. Marcus Semien and crew trail the Yankees by two games for the top Wild Card spot and Boston by 1, with six games to go.
