BALTIMORE — The music setlist that rocks the Yankees clubhouse after every win could be heard in the background while Carlos Rodon, Jazz Chisholm and Ben Rice took a turn meeting with reporters after Tuesday night’s 15-3 mauling of the Orioles.
Dressing quietly at his Orioles Park visiting clubhouse locker, Aaron Judge wrapped a spiffy dress shirt around his broad shoulders and then sat down to throw on a pair of socks and slim on his shoes.
Before heading back to the team hotel, the Yankees captain willingly answered a few questions on a night that started with a record-tying night, three Yankees homers in a row and four in the first inning.
Typically, Judge talked up his teammates, especially Trent Grisham for putting the Yankees offense in high gear right off the bat with a leadoff homer that shot over the high right-field wall and touched down on Eutaw Street.
But after that, Judge showed his competitive side in a lighthearted way when someone asked about Grisham tying him for the team home run lead for about 45 seconds. Batting second, Judge homered on Orioles starter Kyle Gibson’s next pitch to pass Grisham, 9-8.
“Yeah, I can’t let him have that,” Judge said with a big grin. “It was fun. I’m happy he gave us a lead and we were tied for a second, but I had to take that back!”
That’s about as much bragging as you’ll ever hear from Judge.
A moment earlier, during a quick chat with NJ Advance Media, Judge was told the latest huge compliment that he’d received from his manager.
Judge leads the majors with a .412 average after a 2-for-3, two-walk night left him with an astounding 47 hits in 30 games. According to Aaron Boone, this fantastic start continuing on and Judge making a run at becoming the majors’ first .400 hitter in 84 seasons is unlikely but not completely impossible.
Judge smiled from ear to ear hearing what Boone had to say, then he gave a typical Judge response.
“We’re in first place,” Judge said. “That’s always really matters to me. After how we ended the year last year not winning the World Series, there’s a lot of work to be done and all you can do is look in the mirror and try to figure out ways to get better and try to improve.”
After ending his thought, Judge looked up and smiled again, then said, “Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.”
Fair enough.
Judge knows hitting .400 is farfetched, of course, but it’s still very impressive that he’ll make it through the first full month of the season in this sacred territory as long as he doesn’t go 0-for-4 or worse in Wednesday night’s April 30 series finale.
The Yankees’ first trip to Baltimore last season also was at the end of April, and that’s when Judge was in the midst of a terrible slump, the worst since his pre-rookie season in 2016.
When the Orioles in Camden Yards on May 2, 2024 to take three of four from the Yankees, Judge was batting .197. He never sounded so agitated that day answering questions about his early struggles.
This was added fuel to change the narrative, and within a week Judge was hot and on his way to a 58-homer, MVP season.
One of Judge’s missions this season was to get off to a much better start, and he did that in the Yankees’ first series.
After going 1-for-4 with an RBI in the Yankees’ Opening Day win at Yankee Stadium, he went off in game two for three homers and eight RBI in a 20-9 blowout of the Brewers, a romp that started just like Tuesday night’s … with three homers in a row, then an MLB record-breaking fourth first-inning dinger.
Judge wound up hitting six homers in the Yankees’ first eight games and his average has been above .400 for all but three days over the last two weeks.
Is this just a great start by one of the game’s superstars, or something more?
“I think he’s continuing to become a better hitter,” Boone said. “When I say this, I’m not being cute or funny: Honestly, I don’t think he’s really that been that hot yet. Honestly. He’s getting his hits, and I think it’s a credit to just how great he is. But when he gets really going, when he starts hitting balls in the seats, buckle up!
“Every year he’s just, ‘How can I get a little bit better?’ I think he’s just a more well-rounded hitter, which probably makes him more viable when you go through those inevitable walls, even for him.”
After making those comments, Boone was asked by Michael Kay if Judge hitting .400 for the whole season was possible.
“Could he?” the Yankees TV voice asked.
Sitting in the visiting dugout surrounded by media, Boone chuckled.
“As I always say with him, I’m not gonna put anything past him,” Boone said. “But .400? I’m not gonna put anything past Aaron Judge, but .400?”
No one’s hit .400 since Ted Williams in 1941, and there have only been a few good runs at it since: Tony Gwynn hitting .394 in 1994, George Brett batting .390 in 1980, .388 seasons by Williams in 1957 and Rod Carew in 1977.
All of those hitters batted left-handed. Judge bats right and no one’s hit .400 from that side since Rogers Hornsby 101 years ago in 1924.
With pitching depth considered much better in this era, especially the bullpens loaded with different looks and hard throwers, Boone is amazed that anyone is above .400 even this late into a season.
“Yeah, we just kind of look at each other when (Judge) throws out his couple hits every day right now,” Boone said. “I think it’s just a testament to his greatness because I think he hasn’t got to that point where he’s really locked and he’ll shoot those dominant stretches.”
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Randy Miller may be reached at [email protected].