Yankee manage Aaron Boone has been protecting 30 year old Aaron Judge, twice by resting Judge before an off day (no Yankee game). So far, the Yankees have played 107 games in 2022: 70-37. But Aaron Judge has started only 99. Judge has pinch hit in four of those 8 games he did not start. Judge has not started 8/107=0.07476 (7.5%). The 8 games Judge did not start:
Friday, April 15, 2022 in Baltimore; Orioles 2, Yankees 1 in 11 innings; PH for Kiner-Falefa in 10th inning: ground out
Saturday, April 30, 2022 in KC; Yankees 3, Royals 0; DH previous game
Monday, May 16, 2022 in Baltimore; Yankees 6, Orioles 2
Tuesday, June 21, 2022 in Tampa; Rays 5, Yankees 4; PH for Gallo in 9th: flied to deep left for final out
Sunday, July 3, 2022 in Cleveland; Cleveland 2, Yankees 0; PH for Trevino in 9th: BB to load bases; Hicks made final out; off day following no kidding: no Yankee game July 4, 2022.
Thursday, July 7, 2022 in Boston; Yankees 6, Red Sox 5; DH next game
Tuesday, July 12, 2022 home; Reds 4, Yankees 3; PH for Gallo in 9th: SO
Wednesday, August 3, 2022 home; Mariners 7, Yankees 3; off day following, DH previous game
This week the Yankees had no game scheduled for Thursday August 4. Judge did not play at all:
Start Time: 1:05 p.m. Local
Attendance: 42,169
Venue: Yankee Stadium III
Game Duration: 2:47
Day Game, on grass
Mariners 7, Yankees 3
Yankee starting pitcher Gerrit Cole allowed three home runs and six runs in the first inning.
Tuesday August 2 Judge was the Designated Hitter (DH): Mariners 8, Yankees 6.
Judge did play right field Monday
August 1: Yankees 7, Mariners 2; Judge 2 for 4: home run and double.
After not playing at all those two previous days and not playing the field three days, Judge started Friday August 5 in St. Louis: Cardinals 4, Yankees 3; Judge 2 for 4, BB, SB; flied out in the 9th with a runner on base.
Judge also has started 18 games as DH: 17% of all Yankee games. In one DH game in Baltimore Sunday, July 24, 2022:
Bottom of the 9th, Orioles Batting, Behind 0-6, Yankees' Clarke Schmidt facing 7-8-9
Clarke Schmidt replaces Josh Donaldson (PR) pitching and batting 6th
Aaron Judge moves from DH to CF (team loses DH)
So, did Aaron Boone resting Aaron Judge help the Yankees? Beats me. It's what managers do these days. At least it's what this Yankee manager does. Judge will be a free agent after this 2022 season. Judge turned down a multi-year Yankee offer for a gazillion dollars in order to make even more, possibly with another team. Judge is being paid $19 million for this 2022 season.
That home run Judge hit Monday August 1 was number 43 for this season. Judge has a chance to break the American League and Yankee season home run record of 61 set in 1961 by Roger Maris.
So, it's especially odd that Judge would not start in 7.5% of his team's games. How much did Maris sit in 1961?
1961 was the first MLB season with 162 games scheduled (American League only). The Yankees played one tie game, so 163 games. Maris started 160, so he missed 3: 3/163=0.01840 (1.8%).
Maris pinch hit in one of the three games he did not start: Sunday, July 30, 1961 game one of a doubleheader: grounded out for the final out against tough lefty Steve Barber who shutout the Yankees 4-0. Maris started game two and played 8 innings; Yanks were swept 2-1 at the Stadium.
The 1961 New York Yankees played 22 doubleheaders. That's two games each of which was scheduled for 9 innings. I attended two, which are illustrative:
Start Time: 1:34 p.m. Local
Venue: Yankee Stadium I
Game Duration: 2:20
Day Game, on grass
Yankees 6, Tigers 2
Start Time: 4:27 p.m. Local
Attendance: 74,246
Venue: Yankee Stadium I
Game Duration: 3:29
Tigers 4, Yankees 3 in 10 innings
HR: Roger Maris (31, off Frank Lary, 8th inn, 1 on, 2 outs to Deep RF).
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Start Time: 2:04 p.m. Local
Venue: Yankee Stadium I
Game Duration: 4:16
Day Game, on grass
Yankees 7, Twins 6 in 15 innings
HR: Mickey Mantle 2 (42, 2 off Pedro Ramos, 1st inn, 1 on, 2 outs to Deep RF; 3rd inn, 0 on, 2 outs to Deep RF)
Both Maris and Mantle had 8 plate appearances in that 15 inning game. Mantle: 4 for 6, 2 BB (1 intentional in 15th), 2 HR, 2B, SB.
Start Time: 6:55 p.m. Local
Attendance: 39,408
Venue: Yankee Stadium I
Game Duration: 2:26
Yankees 3, Twins 2
HR: Mickey Mantle (43, off Al Schroll, 2nd inn, 0 on, 0 outs to Deep CF-RF)
Mantle walked and scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th.
Both Maris and Mantle played all 24 innings.
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After both those doubleheaders the Yankees played the very next day at Yankee Stadium:
Yankees 6, Cleveland 0
HR: Roger Maris (32, off Frank Funk, 7th inn, 0 on, 1 out to Deep RF)
Rescheduled From: Apr 18, 1961 (Rain)
Yankees 4, Angels 1
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Both Maris and Mantle played all 9 innings in each of those games. And the DH rule did not rear its ugly head until 1973.
In 1961 Maris played 154 complete games (CG), including 6 inning and 7 inning CG and 13 games that went extra innings, which included two 11, 12, 13, 15.
They weren't supermen, they were baseball players and they played baseball when there was baseball to be played.
After that August 7 win the 1961 Yankees record was 72-37. After last night's loss in St. Louis the 2022 Yankees record is 70-37.
It's doubtful that Maris or Mantle used performance enhancing drugs (PED), including steroids, in 1961. Aaron Judge?
Giancarlo Stanton? Stanton hit 59 home runs for the Marlins in 2017? Stanton is a Yankee now and injured.
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