Yankees' Aaron Judge texted personal hitting coach before HR No. 62
It turns out New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge didn't need a break, as he blasted home run No. 62 of the campaign on Tuesday night to pass Yankees legend Roger Maris and set a new American League single-season record for round-trippers.
It appears the 30-year-old also knew something was off with his approaches before Tuesday evening.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Stephanie Apstein pointed out that Judge texted personal hitting coach Richard Schenck following the opening game of Tuesday's doubleheader at the Texas Rangers, in which the four-time All-Star selection went 1-for-5 with a single. Per Justin Tasch of the New York Post, Judge showed some uncharacteristic frustration following a pop-out:
"He felt he was launching the ball too far toward his pull side, or up the middle; he needed to aim for the opposite field," Apstein wrote. "Schenck calls it 'attacking oppo.' The idea is not necessarily to force yourself to hit the ball the other way. It’s about being on time."
Apstein continued:
"Schenck reminded Judge of a few cues to keep himself on time. A few minutes later, Judge strode to the batter’s box. He took a four-seamer well above the zone for ball one. He took a slider down the middle for strike one. He got nearly the same pitch again. He pulled his bat backward and hit the ball forward."
The rest, as the saying goes, is history:
Judge, one of the ultimate team-first players in all of MLB, can now fully concentrate on helping the Yankees earn the prize he truly wants this fall: A world championship.
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