TORONTO — As Aaron Judge chases historical past, it’s not simply the Yankees that need to cope with it.
Before the slugger involves bat, the Yankees’ bat boy runs out two stamped baseballs to the house plate umpire. Every ball he sees as he’s one residence run away from Roger Maris’ American League and Yankee single-season report, is now numbered so {that a} historic residence run ball will be authenticated.
So each opposing pitcher has to make use of a brand new ball each time he involves the plate. On Saturday, Red Sox starter Nick Pivetta threw one of many specifically marked balls out. Pivetta wasn’t protesting although, he was pleasantly shocked that the particular Judge baseballs aren’t any completely different than the others.
“They’re the same baseball and they feel the same. Yeah, the only difference [Saturday] is the regular game balls were rubbed up more than those balls,” Pivetta stated. “I feel that’s similar to, they’ve sure individuals rub up the balls and possibly typically anyone doesn’t rub up as a lot or as the opposite.
“I’m pretty picky about the ball,” Pivetta continued. “It just so happened to be one of those balls at the time. But I mean, I need a good ball throw at the end of the day. It makes sense to do this and as far as the hardness or softness of the ball is the same.”
So Monday evening when the Yankees go into Rogers Centre for a three-game sequence in opposition to the Blue Jays, right-hander Kevin Gausman should use the particular baseballs.
“I think it’s the right way to do it,” Pivetta stated. “They are no more inconsistent than the regular balls. I mean they are all pretty different so this doesn’t make it any harder.”
Judge leads the majors — by a large margin with Kyle Schwarber at 42 — with 60 homers, however he’s going by way of a house run drought. After hitting No. 60 on Tuesday evening, Judge has gone 5 video games with out a homer. He’s solely had a house run drought that lengthy 4 occasions this season.
HOLDING OUT HOPE
Matt Carpenter was out of the strolling boot Sunday, however clearly limping. The Yankees, nevertheless, are nonetheless holding out hope that the slugger who helped spark their season can get again within the lineup earlier than the common season ends on October 6.
“I think we’re holding out hope to that but we’re still a ways from even having an idea if that’s going to be possible or not,” supervisor Aaron Boone stated earlier than Monday evening’s recreation in opposition to the Blue Jays. “Obviously a lot depends on how his week unfolds. He’s just starting to do a lot of weight-bearing things. So, we’ve tried to keep that in-play with how we maneuvered the roster and stuff, but we’ll just have to see how each day and where we are this time next week.”
Carpenter, signed as a free agent after opting out of a minor league contract with the Rangers in May, was an enormous left-handed enhance to this lineup. After hitting seven residence runs in 418 plate appearances over the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the previous All-Star crushed 15 homers in 154 plate appearances over 47 video games with the Yankees and drove in 37 runs. He hit .305/.412/.727 with a 1.138 OPS earlier than fracturing his left foot on a foul ball Aug. 8.
LEMAHIEU TEST
DJ LeMahieu has to seek out out if he can handle and contribute with the painful irritation in his second/large proper toe space that has had him on the injured listing since Sept. 5. So, the infielder will ramp up his exercises this week.
“He’s gonna do a little more here these next couple of days. He’ll be hitting early tomorrow and probably testing it more intensely. So we’ll see,” Boone stated. “Again, that will be in the hands of the medical team and DJ about when that day we work him back in is, but I know the plan is to up the intensity here these next couple of days.”
LeMahieu had stated he hoped to play in one of many video games right here, maybe Wednesday’s sequence finale. Boone stated he does count on LeMahieu to be again within the common season — simply to see if he can contribute.
“I feel like he’s gonna come back. Yes, in some way, shape, or form and then we’re gonna see what we got,” Boone stated.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com