BY ALEX MITCHELL
In his own words, Aaron
Judge isn’t locked in, yet.
That’s a bold statement
coming from the man who
just belted six home runs in
fi ve straight games and has
now matched a New York Yankees
franchise record by hitting
those six homers in the
fi rst eight games of the season
— tying Alex Rodriguez
from 2007, passing Babe Ruth
in the process.
“It’s an honor to be in
the same sentence of those
two guys,” Judge said after
his latest two 400-footplus
shots lifted the Yankees
over the Boston Red Sox on
Sunday night.
While Yankees manager
Aaron Boone said Sunday that
Judge is “on a mission,” number
99 told that he’s personally
“just trying to go out there and
have some fun.”
“That’s been my biggest
thing is just go out there and
do my part,” Judge added,
mentioning that each season
as a team, the Yankees are on
a mission, speaking highly of
that squad which he said has
“a lot of talent, a lot of heart”
as well.
“I’ve got my own personal
goals and achievements that
I want to accomplish each and
every year, but none of that
comes before the team…so
whenever my name gets called
and whatever the situation
when I’ve got to drive somebody
in I’m going to try to do
it,” Judge said.
Boone also believes that
Judge’s seemingly complete
recovery from a lingering rib
injury from a diving catch
in September of 2019 has “lit
another fuse for him” this
time around.
“He’s healthy, man, there’s
a reason he almost won the
MVP,” fi rst baseman Luke
Voit said about his teammate.
Voit, who put his own
clutch solo shot into the leftfi
eld seats on Sunday added,
“he’s in a groove right now
and I’m excited to see what he
can do in 60 games this year
with how he’s raking now.”
BRONX TIMES R 26 EPORTER, AUGUST 7-13, 2020 BTR
Shortstop DJ LeMahieu,
who set Judge up to take
the lead with his late tying
RBI against the Sox, reiterated
Voit’s thoughts, calling
number 99 a “calm, easy,
confi dent” batter.
So, what does being “lockedin”
mean for Judge?
“It’s about not missing my
pitch,” Judge said, adding that
going 5-for-5 would each night
would constitute a ‘locked-in’
performance at the plate.
Though there is something
much larger on the minds
of Judge, Voit, LeMahieu,
Boone, and really all of the
Yankees organization – fi nishing
2020 as champions of the
Fall Classic.
“It’s time to get this thing
rolling, it’s still early but we
just keep taking every single
game on at a time and just
keep trying to win today I
think that’s going to add up
at the end of the year for us,”
Judge said.
Jul 8, 2020; Bronx, New York, United States; New York Yankees right fi elder Aaron Judge, right, talks with
manager Aaron Boone during workouts at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 2, 2020; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter
Giancarlo Stanton (27) slides safely into home plate in the third inning
against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell
BY ALEX MITCHELL
He’s back, he’s 20 pounds
down, and he’s a force at the
plate this season.
Whether it’s hitting or
on the basepaths, New York
Yankees outfi elder Giancarlo
Stanton has set the tone
early after being sidelined for
much of 2019 by a lingering
calf injury.
So far Stanton has been
batting a near .300 by going
8-for-27 with two homers, six
RBI, and is keeping a good
eye at the plate by drawing
seven walks through nine
games within the designated
hitter role.
“I feel like I’m having good
at-bats, good approach, I’ve
just got to stay in the strike
zone and continue to do that,”
he told reporters ahead of
Sunday night’s game against
the Red Sox.
Stanton also addressed his
new and leaner form, saying
he wanted to enter 2020 losing
“a good bit.”
“I had a lot of time to
think over last year and I
just wanted to cover all my
bases,” he said.
“I tried a lot, tried to fi gure
out what’s the best way for
me to say on the fi eld, what’s
the best way for me to progress
so I thought I’d give this a
try,” Stanton added, saying he
was closer to the weight of his
younger years.
Stanton’s lighter, more
youthful approach proved effi -
cient when he had a late-game
steal of second base Monday
night in the Yankees’ 6-3 win
over Philadelphia.
Fellow outfi elder Aaron
Judge let on that the two have
also been doing some collaborative
work that focused on
their more than solid hitting
games this year as well.
“I was kind of talking to
him about breaking pitches…
the next day he came in he
said ‘hey man, I was watching
some video man if you just
keep your head down there
just a click longer you’ll stay
through the baseball a little
better,'” Judge said following
his historic night against
Boston on Sunday.
For Stanton to keep on
his A-game he says it’s all
about being able to “stick
to his zone.”
“Just keep it rolling, make
quick, smart adjustments
and keep learning after every
game even if I have a great
game just to learn what could
have been a little bit better,”
he said.
Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
The column that Ruth built
Healthy, slimmer Stanton
could be what Yanks have
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Judge’s historic start shows attitude
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