Instances have modified in 61 years, and that’s no scoop. Aaron Decide isn’t feeling precisely the identical form of pressures Roger Maris felt. For example, Decide doesn’t need to confront pesky reporters earlier than each recreation, and there’s no proof he has misplaced any hair. He seems to be as fairly as ever.
(For the file, I ponder if that story about Maris’ hair falling out in clumps is perhaps apocryphal. Has anybody ever seen an image of Maris and not using a full head of hair?)
Decide acts as if nothing extraordinary is happening. If half his hometown of Linden, Calif., weren’t alongside for the journey, standing in a field whereas watching and ready together with the remainder of us, there’s no proof Decide has given the house run file a second’s thought. There’s additionally nary an indication of stress, except you rely 4 straight video games and not using a residence run since hitting No. 60 and tying the Babe Ruth. All issues thought of, Decide’s activity is much more troublesome, and extra wonderful.
There’s that chance he’s doing a tremendous job hiding his actual angst or nervousness. However right here’s my perception: He is probably not precisely regular.
I haven’t been invited to take a seat on the bench, however phrase is nothing has modified there. The Yankees aren’t treating Decide as if historical past is about to be made regardless that they know it's.
“We maintain it as regular as attainable in an irregular time,” is the way in which Josh Donaldson put it earlier than the Yankees beat the Crimson Sox 7-5.
They assume Decide can deal with it. And why not? He has dealt with every little thing else.
This complete journey he has taken us on is tough to imagine. He has blown away the sphere in any MVP or Participant of the Yr dialogue. His competitors is historical past — and nonetheless, for right this moment, Maris.
Maris’ file is likely one of the biggest in all sports activities. Solely baseball information matter, and it’s up there with Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, Cy Younger’s 511 wins and Hank Aaron’s 755 residence runs (we don’t rely Barry Bonds as we attempt to maintain it actual on this house).
Maris felt completely different anxieties, as these beat writers from the ten New York Metropolis dailies of the time (of us learn newspapers again then!) reportedly stayed in his face. Not solely are we a really respectful group, the clubhouse availability is restricted to an hour earlier than every recreation, and most Yankees stars solely make cameo appearances then.
Everybody who was a real Yankees fan again in 1961 was rooting for the homegrown hero, Mickey Mantle, to be the one to interrupt the file of the much more legendary Yankee, Ruth. The Mick was not solely homegrown, he was a fun-loving all-time nice Yankee with movie-star seems to be and an ideal baseball title who’d already helped the staff to 5 World Sequence titles by the point he and Maris engaged within the first nice home-run chase 61 years in the past.
All the things to learn about Aaron Decide and his chase for the house run file:
- Aaron Decide hits 62nd residence run to interrupt Roger Maris’ file
- Hearken to Michael Kay and John Sterling name Aaron Decide’s 62nd residence run
- Aaron Decide’s mother and father rejoice his historic 62nd residence run
- All of Aaron Decide’s residence runs this season
Decide doesn’t have it any simpler. He's in his stroll yr after turning down the $213.5 million extension supply that was introduced by the Yankees, so he was risking plenty of loot even earlier than he began on this unreal journey. Whereas he had the benefit of not having a extra fashionable teammate to compete with, he additionally didn’t have Mantle batting behind him. One of the best participant within the American League protected Maris. Not solely is Decide one of the best participant within the league, he has at occasions regarded nearly alone in a lineup decimated by harm.
Anthony Rizzo is again, which is good. Whereas he’s not Mantle, he's left-handed, clutch, and a menace each time he steps into the field, particularly at Yankee Stadium. However instantly earlier than Rizzo, out of necessity, Decide had a hobbled, half-speed Giancarlo Stanton attempting to guard him. In contrast to Maris, who was by no means deliberately walked in his historic season, Decide leads the American League with 17 intentional walks. As he has achieved extra harm — his OPS was .983 within the first half, a ridiculous 1.342 within the second half — he’s additionally being pitched round extra.
Decide additionally had the burden of getting to hold a staff that when had a 15 ½-game lead, however was bidding to have an all-time collapse whereas 5 of its higher hitters went out with harm (Matt Carpenter, Andrew Benintendi and DJ LeMahieu are nonetheless out). And he has needed to do it, at occasions, with out a lot assist.
And let’s be actual, he’s additionally having a greater season than Maris, who had the advantage of breaking Ruth’s file in an enlargement yr when pitching was down throughout the league. Decide entered Saturday main the AL with a .315 common. (He now trails Xander Bogaerts by a degree, .315 to .314). Maris completed practically 100 factors behind AL batting champ Norm Money in 1961.
With vital however completely different warmth on him, Decide leads in practically every little thing. He has 128 RBIs. He leads the AL residence run race by 23; Maris solely completed with seven forward of Mantle. The seasons of the respective sluggers — Maris and Decide — aren’t actually that shut.
No disrespect to Maris, however nobody ever has had this type of yr.
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