ARLINGTON, Texas — Round numbers and all-time records possess the power both to fire us up and calm us down. They fire us up when we’ve already boarded a bandwagon. They calm us down when we’ve been looking to abandon ship.
Sunday’s pinstriped fireworks at Globe Life Park probably did a little of both.
In their 16-7 pounding of the Rangers, a win that allowed them to gain ground on both the Red Sox and the Twins — they’re now both 3½ games out of the American League East and in front of the AL wild-card derby — the Yankees saw their two young studs, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, each go deep twice, reaching multiples of 10 and joining heroes — and perhaps reminding detractors just how good they’ve been — in the process.
Judge hit homers 40 and 41 on the season, and he drew walk 107, setting the major league single-season rookie record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Sanchez slugged home runs 29 and 30.
“It’s incredible, what these kids have done,” manager Joe Girardi said. “And there’s still three weeks to go.”
These kids both have generated more than their share of consternation even as they’ve compiled such superb statistics. With the Yankees having won seven of 10 games and putting themselves in strong position to play postseason ball — they play 17 of their final 20 regular-season games at home, including the next three in a “road” series against the displaced Rays at Citi Field — Judge’s and Sanchez’s assets far outshine their liabilities.
Here is the list of Yankees who have gone deep 40 or more times in their age-25 season or younger, in chronological order: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle and Judge.
“Pretty surreal,” said Judge, 25. “Never as a kid would I ever think that I’d be in the same sentence as those guys. It’s quite an honor. It’s pretty humbling.”
He also joined Mark McGwire as the only rookies to hit more than 40 homers in a season. McGwire’s record of 49 looks difficult but not impossible for Judge to catch.
The walks, too, mean much to Judge and to his team. The Yankees made sure to get the ball from his second-inning ball four against Rangers starter A.J. Griffin.
“Just getting on base,” he said. “With the team I have around me, all I have to do is get on base for them and they’ll drive me in. My goal all year has been to get on base with knock or a walk.”
Judge’s overall numbers look ridiculously good and should get him unanimous support for AL Rookie of the Year honors. But his post-Home Run Derby flameout sent panic through Yankees Universe and gave us a long debate about when and how much Girardi should lower Judge in the lineup. Girardi eventually lowered Judge a few notches (he hit sixth Sunday) and also benched him for a few days last month in the hopes of recharging his batteries.
The right fielder still hasn’t turned back into the offensive machine he was in the first half. He might never be that guy again. However, in his past seven games, Judge has a .292/.455/.833 slash line with four homers. Sunday marked his first day in that stretch with more than one hit, yet he has reached base twice or more in five of these games thanks to his walks.
Then there’s Sanchez, 24, who has endured arguably more 2017 grief than Judge after his spectacular two-month debut last year. He received a scolding and benching from Girardi for his defense. He agreed to a three-game suspension from Major League Baseball for his role in a bench-clearing brawl with the Tigers on Aug. 24. Here he is, though, still standing and still hitting.
“At this point now, I’m feeling pretty good,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “I’m getting good results. I’ve had highs and lows throughout the season. But I’ve always kept my head up. Keep working hard.”
Keep producing like this, and Sanchez’s and Judge’s stocks will climb toward more milestones and records. Those, not the down times, will stand the test of time and fire you up all over again.