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Aaron Judge’s home run hitting prowess was in the news again on Monday, September 2, but the Yankees captain didn’t hit another long ball.
With the Yankees at Globe Life Field to face the Texas Rangers, New York radio broadcaster Justin Shackil paid a visit to the outfield seats. There, he found something was missing.
The plaque commemorating where Judge’s record-breaking 62nd home run ball landed in 2022 was gone. Rangers officials told Shackil it was stolen. For a second time. The team added that it would not replace the plaque again.
That’s where the Chicago-based Custom Sign Crafters comes in.
When Shackil’s post went viral in the baseball world, Custom Sign Crafters replied with an offer to not only replace the plaque but make it virtually un-stealable.
“Please allow us to make and install this #AaronJudge plaque as it should remain there as our install and anti-damage methods will never allow this to walk away again,” the company wrote. “The way we do it, a cruise missile could hit it with no damage or theft. Reach out to us, we’re the best! 😊”
Shakil announced during Monday night’s game broadcast — an 8-4 Yankees win — that the offer had been passed on to Rangers personnel.
Aaron Judge Is Even Better Now Than He Was in 2022
Judge hasn’t homered in his last seven games. That’s a drought by his standards and it’s put him slightly behind pace to break his own single-season home run record. Whether he gets there or not, however, he is having a better all-around year in his age 32 season.
Judge still has 51 home runs, tops in the majors by a comfortable margin. He has been better, however, than his 2022 self in every other offensive category. He is hitting .326 in 2024 vs. .311 two years ago, giving him a puncher’s chance at a batting title. Thanks to pitchers fearing him, Judge has already drawn more walks (112) than he did in all of 2022 and his on-base percentage is an astounding .459.
Judge’s 32 doubles, already a career high, combined with his home runs and walks have given him a career-best OPS of 1.170 and OPS+ of 222. Meanwhile his strikeout percentage (24.1%) is at an all-time low and his wRC+ (218) is at an all-time high.
To date, he has accumulated 9.6 bWAR, more than he has in any full season of his career except for 2022 (10.5). He is on pace to pass that mark.
The Yankees Are Making Aaron Judge’s Job Easier
The Yankees haven’t been great in the second half of the season, but they have shown improvement in one key area: This is no longer a two-person lineup between Judge and Juan Soto.
While pitchers have tried intentionally walking or pitching around Judge, the Yankees haven’t made it easy to do that. With Soto and Gleyber Torres hitting ahead of Judge, the captain is often coming up with men on base. Torres’ season-long numbers aren’t good, but he has caught fire since moving to the lead-off spot in mid-August. In 16 games since then, he’s hitting .297 with an .824 OPS.
The hitters behind Judge are also offering protection. Rookie catcher Austin Wells had a dismal start to the season but is hitting .308 over his last 32 games. The bulk of that stretch has come as the cleanup hitter directly behind Judge.
Giancarlo Stanton has only played in 95 games, but since coming off of the Injured List at the end of July, he has hit 7 home runs, including 5 in his last 10 games.
Stanton spoke to the media after Monday night’s game and, per MLB.com’s Drew Davison, said what Yankees fans must be thinking:
“When we’re all clicking like that, it’s just fun to watch.”
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