The New York Yankees are on the verge of clinching the AL East. Just one win in their upcoming series against the second-place Baltimore Orioles will seal the deal, and no one is more eager to get the job done than Aaron Judge.
“Magic number is down to one,” the Captain said on Sunday, according to the New York Post’s Greg Joyce. “Let’s just go take care of business now.”
If Judge is getting impatient, he’s justified. The Yankees have spent the bulk of the 2024 season battling the Orioles for control of the AL East.
Now, after sweeping the Oakland Athletics in their final road series of the year, New York finally has a commanding six-game lead over Baltimore, and Judge is is due for a day off or two.
The presumptive AL MVP has played in 154 of the Yankees’ 156 games this season and he’s put together arguably the best season of his career, slashing a ridiculous .323/.458/.695. Giving Judge a break ahead of the playoffs would help ensure he’s fresh and ready to continue his superhuman performance deep into October.
Seeing Judge relaxing on the bench for a couple of games as his team goes through the motions to finish the season would be ideal. However, Yankees fans are hoping he plays at least one of the final three games on the schedule.
The Pittsburgh Pirates visit Yankee Stadium this weekend, bringing rookie sensation Paul Skenes with them. The right-handed flamethrower last pitched on Sunday, which sets him up to make his final start of the season in the Bronx.
After anticlimactically grounding into a force out in his anticipated matchup against Skenes in the 2024 All Star Game, Judge has to be in the lineup to face the youngster. The fans deserve to see the record-setting slugger take another crack at that triple-digit fastball.
