NEW YORK — Colorado Rockies supervisor Bud Black knew what he was speaking about. Black performed with all-time residence run chief Barry Bonds in 1993 and 1994 in San Francisco.
“I noticed Barry in his prime,” Black mentioned.
Then he turned the dialog towards Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Decide, who hammered his fiftieth and 51st residence runs of the season in opposition to Black’s membership Sunday because the Yankees went on to a 10-3 victory at Yankee Stadium.
“They’re most likely not fairly to that degree of efficiency” of Bonds, Black mentioned, “however Ohtani and Decide are type of proper there.”
Minutes later, on the opposite aspect of the stadium within the Yankees’ clubhouse, the discuss of Decide and Bonds revved up once more.
Bonds’ single-season residence run file of 73 has stood since 2001.
May Decide surpass it in some unspecified time in the future in his profession?
“If there’s any man within the league who can do it,” proper fielder Juan Soto mentioned, “it’s going to be him.”
When requested the identical query, Giancarlo Stanton provided a flat reply: “Yeah.”
“I’m not going to place a restrict on what Aaron Decide can do,” supervisor Aaron Boone mentioned.
After Sunday’s sport, Decide was on tempo to hit 63 residence runs — yet another than the American League single-season file he set in 2022. Again then, he snapped the file of 61 that Yankees nice Roger Maris set in 1961.
Captain Curtain Name 🫡 pic.twitter.com/qRyYCFWOqI
— YES Community (@YESNetwork) August 25, 2024
Decide hit No. 50 within the first inning off Rockies beginning pitcher Austin Gomber and No. 51 within the seventh as a part of back-to-back-to-back photographs with Soto and Stanton off rookie Jeff Criswell, who was pitching in simply his second MLB sport and had by no means given up a single residence run within the majors earlier than Sunday.
Decide has been on a tear. He’s crushed seven residence runs in his final six video games, 9 in his final 10 video games and 19 in his final 36 video games. He’s additionally reached base in every of his final 15 video games.
“The most effective gamers within the sport,” Black mentioned.
In 2022, Decide hit his 51st residence run Aug. 30. This yr, he did it Aug. 25 and the Yankees had 31 video games remaining after Sunday.
Decide grew to become the fifth participant in MLB historical past to hit not less than 50 homers in three separate seasons, becoming a member of Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. He’s additionally vying to be the third hitter to file a number of seasons with not less than 60 residence runs, becoming a member of Sosa and McGwire. He’d be the one participant in that class who hadn’t been tied to performance-enhancing medication.
Decide hit simply six residence runs by way of April whereas posting a .207 batting common. Then he modified his swing and went on a tear that hasn’t stopped.
“That tells you it’s not the way you begin, it’s the way you end,” Soto mentioned. “All people was worrying about him at first. I didn’t fear about (him), not one bit. Understanding how nice he’s and it’s such as you say, it’s loopy to see a man hit a homer day after day. It’s unimaginable. I believe I by no means see someone hit so many homers so constant. It’s nice to have him behind (me).”
“It’s unreal,” Stanton mentioned. “Like I mentioned, he does one thing particular every single day, and also you virtually take as a right how good he’s been, what a staple he’s been for our offense and our staff on the whole.”
This season, Decide has hit a house run each 9 at-bats. In Bonds’ historic season, he clubbed a homer each 6.5 at-bats. With only a month remaining, Decide must significantly decide up the tempo if he needed to interrupt the MLB single-season file.
“Instances change,” mentioned Stanton, who hit a majors-best 59 homers in his MVP 2017 season. “The sport modifications. It’s such a far-reaching quantity. However earlier than that, so was 60. Then 70. It may be performed. On the tempo he’s going, he’s in a position to do it for certain. It’s only a matter of placing it collectively.”
“Seven-three is such an enormous quantity,” Boone mentioned. “I don’t know. However then once more, data are made to be damaged. That’s one of many nice issues about our sport.”
Decide’s 62 bombs in 2022 ranked as simply the seventh-highest whole of all time. McGwire hit 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999. Sosa hit 66 in 1998, 64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999.
However Decide hasn’t been a one-trick pony. He additionally leads MLB in OPS (1.201), RBIs (122) and on-base share (.465). His .333 batting common was second within the majors behind the Kansas Metropolis Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. at .347.
However resetting the AL file would possibly nicely be inside attain for Decide. In 2022, he completed August with 51 residence runs and hit 11 in September.
When lightheartedly pressed for a quantity on what number of homers Decide might hit, Boone mentioned, “Rather a lot.”
“I do know that’s not essentially his focus or his purpose,” the supervisor mentioned. “He’s attempting to have one of the best at-bats and assist us win the championship.”
Decide mentioned he tries not to consider what number of residence runs he’s hit. His 308 profession residence runs are probably the most of any participant by way of their first 964 profession video games in MLB historical past, with Philadelphia Phillies nice Ryan Howard second at 274.
“I don’t suppose that basically helps anyone if I’m going up there and attempting to hit a homer,” he mentioned. “I obtained thus far attempting to be a superb hitter and be a superb teammate. In order that’s what I’m going to attempt to do. If I do this, we’re going to lookup on the finish of the yr and I believe the numbers will likely be the place they’re imagined to be.”
The place are the numbers imagined to be?
“We’ll see,” he mentioned.
(Photograph: Jim McIsaac / Getty Photographs)
