Welcome to the final day of the MLB regular season. Now the real fun starts. But first, we’ve got some notables from yesterday to discuss.
Judge Breaks Maris’ AL Home Run Record
If you were tuning into the Yankees double header in Arlington on Tuesday in hopes of seeing Yankees slugger Aaron Judge make history, you were in luck. Judge’s 62nd home run, a 391-foot home run, came off Texas Rangers righthander Jesus Tinoco in the top of the first inning of the night cap in Arlington.
Here’s a few angles of the historical home run:
Judge now stands alone atop the Yankees and American League single-season home run ladder and 11 behind Barry Bonds’ MLB record of 73.
It took Judge 161 team games to hit No. 62, which came six days after he hit his 61st in Toronto. Unlike No. 61 in Toronto, a fan caught this one last night in Texas. Dallas resident Cory Youmans, sitting in section 31, row 1, seat 3 at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night, was the lucky Rangers fan who caught the home run ball that broke Roger Maris’ all-time American League home run record.
Youmans said last night that he “hasn’t thought about it” when it comes to what he will do with No. 62.
Next Up, the Triple Crown?
So, with No. 62 in the books, and one game left in the Yankees schedule, will Aaron Judge set his sights on the first American League Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera did it in 2012?
The Triple Crown is arguably as prestigious of a feat. It’s been a decade since Cabrera accomplished it, and before Cabrera, it hadn’t happened since Carl Yastrzemski did it in 1967 with the Boston Red Sox. Cabrera finished the 2012 season with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBI. Cabrera also had 40 doubles, 109 runs and a very impressive .606 slugging percentage.
Entering play today, Judge leads the AL in two of the three Triple Crown categories. Here’s a look at where he’s at:
With Arraez leading judge in the average department, it’s not impossible, but it won’t be easy. The Yankees are in Texas again today and the Twins face the White Sox in Chicago. Here’s what the opposing starters have done this season and what Judge and Arraez have done against them in their careers:
Rangers vs. Yankees
White Sox vs. Twins
With that in mind, here’s what would have to happen today for Judge to overtake Arraez and win the Triple Crown, courtesy of MLB.com:
See … not impossible, but a long shot.
Braves Clinch NL East
The Atlanta Braves clinched the NL East on Tuesday night, marking their fifth straight NL East crown. Atlanta beat the Marlins 2-1 on the strength of RBI singles by Ronald Acuna Jr. and William Contreras and five innings of one-run ball from Jake Odorizzi.