Of course this is how everything lined up. The slumping Orioles will be trotted into Yankee Stadium as the sacrificial lamb this weekend so that some poor jamoke on their pitching staff serves up Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run of the season. It will be broadcast nationwide, and then replayed ad nauseam as pundits argue over the “real” home run record. As if this final month of the 2022 season hasn’t been painful enough.
September has been the best month of Judge’s MVP season. He owns a .415/.559/.878 slash line with 10 home runs. He had been on something of a home run drought prior to Wednesday, going seven straight contests without a dong.