Remember Aaron Judge’s miserable April? Ancient history
-
Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — For all the data available to analyze the players and events on the diamond, sometimes the reason a batter abruptly snaps out of a slump is elementary. At least it was for Aaron Judge, currently the hottest hitter on the planet.
“I think just not missing the ball,” Judge said with a chuckle. “When I’m getting a pitch to hit, trying to just get the barrel on it, and it’s working right now.”
Judge owned a .197 batting average and .725 OPS after an oh-fer in a loss on May 2. Though the Yankees were 20-13, powered by one of the stingiest pitching staffs in the majors and newcomer Juan Soto‘s near daily exploits, Judge’s surprisingly slow April hardly went unnoticed. Since then, though, Judge has resumed being his typical MVP self — he was named American League Player of the Week on Monday — while the Yankees have, as a result, reached another level, winning 13 of their last 16 games.
Judge is batting .436 with seven home runs, 10 doubles and 15 walks over that stretch. His on-base percentage since May 3 is .563. His slugging percentage is 1.000. Do the math, and his OPS is 1.563, raising his season total 263 points — from .725 to .988 — in less than three weeks.
Aaron Boone usually notices something — a swing, an at-bat, a batting practice session — that indicates Judge is about to bust out of a slump. Six-plus seasons around a player makes it almost second nature. But if there was a moment that helped spark this recent explosion — in which Judge has launched multiple missiles deep into the outfield grass — if not the bleacher seats — his manager didn’t see it.
“Not this time,” Boone said.
Judge has sparked an offense that had previously battled inconsistency even as the team found ways to win. The Yankees, after being shut out five times in their first 30 games, have scored at least five runs in eight of their last 15 games without being held scoreless. Judge’s production has elevated the Yankees from a team off to a surprising start without ace Gerrit Cole to a dominant ballclub with the second-best record in the big leagues. The Yankees, with Judge raking again, look like the Yankees again.
“I know people were kind of asking questions about his start of the year,” Yankees starter Nestor Cortes said. “But we know it just takes one swing of the bat for him to turn it around and that’s exactly what he’s done. So we’re happy that he’s hitting the ball and connecting with hard-hit balls.”
All through April, Judge was the most scrutinized hitter in the majors. Are his hands too high in his stance? Is he falling off with his swing too much? Why isn’t he obliterating mistakes?
There were valid questions about his health. Before spring training, Judge reiterated that his right big toe will require “constant maintenance” for the rest of his career after he tore a ligament running into the wall at Dodger Stadium last season. In March, he experienced enough abdominal pain to undergo testing, but no structural damage was discovered. He soon returned and was ready for the start of the season. He emphasized he was healthy, but conversations lingered even as he played every day.
All along, Boone said, Judge’s demeanor remained unchanged.
“You would never know if he has a series where he scuffles or a week where he scuffles or a week where he’s doing the things he is right now,” Boone said. “He’s really consistent in who he is and what he presents. I would say he’s the best I’ve ever seen at that.”
Ultimately, Judge pinned his frigid April on an inability to capitalize on mistakes. Too often he would foul off or swing through pitches he’s accustomed to hammering. He still took his walks and hit six home runs, but he wasn’t clicking. Rock bottom came April 20 when he struck out four times in four at-bats and heard boos from the home crowd.
That seems like a long time ago now. He leads the American League with 16 doubles. His 39 walks are the most in the majors. He’s tied for fourth with Shohei Ohtani with 13 home runs and is fifth in wRC+ (177).
Judge’s Baseball Savant page, a frosty blue through April, bleeds red again. He leads the majors in average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard-hit percentage. He has smashed a baseball 473 feet, the longest in the majors this season, at 115.7 mph and cracked another one 467 feet at 113 mph this month. He isn’t just doing damage, he’s bludgeoning pitches.
Soto has been everything the Yankees wanted. Giancarlo Stanton is so far rebounding strongly from a forgettable 2023 campaign. But nobody in the majors is inflicting more damage than Judge. He’s electrified an offense now pounding pitchers on a daily basis — by, like he says, not missing the ball.
“We’re just getting there,” Judge said.
-
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior Writer
When Colorado lined up for the final play of regulation Saturday night against Baylor, the plan called for Travis Hunter, the Buffaloes’ do-it-all star, to serve as … a decoy?
Colorado needed a Hail Mary touchdown to tie the score, and figured Hunter, who had six receptions for 126 yards, would attract the most attention. Hunter would run toward the middle of the end zone, ideally creating a more favorable matchup for LaJohntay Wester, a 5-foot-11, 167-pound wideout.
“We put Travis backside, he’s going to get all the attention, and then LaJohntay’s just going to be there, outside, one-on-one,” Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders said. “They’re not going to think we’re going to throw him the ball because he’s a shorter guy, probably in that situation. So then I roll left, everybody went in the middle of the end zone and I just trusted God. I threw it up to God and God answered the prayer, for sure.”
Sanders’ heave from the Baylor 49-yard line fell to Wester, who wedged between two Bears defenders and dove in the end zone for a touchdown. Colorado went on to win 38-31 in overtime, setting off a storming at Folsom Field and the most dramatic finish under second-year coach Deion Sanders. The Buffs erased three deficits and overcame a 100-yard Baylor kick return touchdown to win their first Big 12 game since returning to the league.
“Great, great, great, great, great, great win,” Deion Sanders said. “The young men were resilient. They never gave up.”
Shedeur Sanders finished with 341 passing yards and touchdown strikes of 58 yards to Omarion Miller just before halftime and 43 yards to Wester as the fourth quarter expired. He led an overtime touchdown drive that culminated with Micah Welch‘s second rushing score.
“That’s why I use the word legendary, and I post it so many times,” Shedeur Sanders said. “That’s the word that I stand by and I live by. Through all the moments, throughout everything, I know, at the end of the day, legendary, that’s what ingrained in me.”
Hunter continued to strengthen his case as a top Heisman Trophy candidate with 130 receiving yards on seven catches, and the game-sealing play on defense in overtime. Baylor’s Dominic Richardson seemed headed for a sure touchdown before Hunter knocked the ball free and it scooted out of the end zone.
Colorado fans stormed the field as officials reviewed the ball, determining the ball was out before Richardson crossed the goal line.
“Shedeur told me to go out there and get the ball once [Colorado] scored, so I told him, ‘I got you,’ and I kept my word,” Hunter said. “I knew I had to tackle. You could see me putting in my mouthpiece late on the play, so I was already ready. I knew they were coming at me. They don’t think I can tackle, so I had to show them.”
On the final snap of regulation, Hunter knew he had to pull Baylor’s defenders in his direction, saying that most Hail Mary plays are 50-50 chances but Colorado’s talented receiving corps increased the odds to 80-20.
“I saw [Sanders] rolling out and then I saw the ball coming my way,” said Wester, who transferred to Colorado this season after a productive career at Florida Atlantic. “As a receiver, your job is to make the quarterback right, whether it’s a good ball or a bad ball. I just made a play on the ball.”
Baylor coach Dave Aranda said the defensive play call on the Hail Mary is “victory cigar,” which includes an up-and-under rush to flush the quarterback toward a contain rusher.
“We went to opposite sides,” Aranda said. “The guy that was up-and-under went away, and the guy that was contain went to the other side, so when you watch that play, you’ll watch someone come from the right and go up and under, well, that’s a shame, because he’s contain.
“I’ve never seen that, and I take full responsibility for that. I have to find a way to coach that better.”
Wester called the postgame atmosphere “a party,” as the celebration went from the field to the Buffaloes’ locker room. Deion Sanders said he regretted the field storm because it prevented him from shaking hands with Aranda, but he praised Colorado fans for their support.
“We have a fan base that’s phenomenal,” Deion Sanders said. “We have some young kids on this campus that love and breath CU football, and I’m thankful.”
Sanders also recognized Colorado’s offensive line, which “always gets ridiculed” but helped the team record three rushing touchdowns. Baylor still recorded eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries.
“I just want everybody to know we can run the ball, and shut up all the haters about it,” Welch said.
But the Bears badly missed a field-goal attempt with 2:16 left that would have given them a 10-point lead and Shedeur Sanders and Colorado ultimately capitalized.
“It kind of threw us back to last year a little bit, didn’t it? Like that nostalgia, that’s the way stuff was starting last year,” said Deion Sanders, referring to Colorado’s 3-0 start to his tenure. “I’m like, ‘Man, I’m going gray, what you trying to do to me, fellas?’ It was a tough one. This press conference could be totally different right now, but I’m excited that we won.”
-
Max Olson, ESPN Staff Writer
AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning threw for 258 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first career start at Texas, leading a 51-3 win over UL Monroe in relief of injured starter Quinn Ewers to push the No. 1 Longhorns to 4-0.
After throwing an interception on his first possession, Manning settled in, and Texas scored touchdowns on six of his 10 drives for a 44-3 lead when he left the game early in the fourth quarter. The redshirt freshman competed 15 of his 29 pass attempts.
Manning said there were several throws he’d like back, starting with his first interception, a second-down throw under pressure that ULM defensive back Carl Fauntroy snagged three minutes into the game. When asked how he’d grade his performance, Manning said, “Probably a C-plus, but a win’s a win.”
“To think he was going to come out and play a perfect game, I don’t think anybody in here thought that,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I thought he was going to prepare really well, work really hard, do everything he could to play good football. He was gonna have some lessons learned, and I think that’s what tonight was about.”
In the Longhorns’ first game as the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 since 2008, Manning received plenty of help. Running back Jaydon Blue rushed for 124 yards and scored four total touchdowns, and Texas’ defense held General Booty and the Warhawks (2-1) to 111 total yards on 2.2 yards per play.
Sarkisian said the game plan called for Manning to be aggressive in taking deep shots against ULM’s defense, and the former five-star recruit had some success with eight passes of 15 or more yards, including a 56-yard completion to Isaiah Bond and a 46-yarder to Matthew Golden. Manning connected with 11 receivers on the night.
“Having so many playmakers around you, it definitely brings up the comfort level for me,” he said. “We got a bunch of different receivers catch balls tonight. Just getting them in space and having them make plays is huge.”
Ewers exited Texas’ 56-7 win over UTSA last week after suffering an oblique strain. His status is considered day-to-day, and he could potentially return for the Longhorns’ SEC debut against Mississippi State next week. Manning shared SEC Freshman of the Week honors after producing 276 total yards and five touchdowns against UTSA in Ewers’ absence.
After their first SEC conference game at home against Mississippi State, the Longhorns have an idle week followed by showdowns with No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia in consecutive weeks.
A Texas team with national championship ambitions has played up to those expectations through four games, outscoring its opponents 190-22 and flexing its muscles in its toughest test with a 31-12 road win against then-No. 10 Michigan. With the Longhorns winning 16 of their past 18 games, Sarkisian is confident he has a team with talent, depth and maturity that’s built to contend in the SEC.
“I’m pleased with where we’re at, but it’s like everything I just told the team: The mission is far from over,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot of great games ahead of us.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports6 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports11 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Environment1 year agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company