The Rush: Aaron Judge’s 45th HR puts him on pace to join ranks of all-time greats
Aaron Judge hit his 45th home run of the season, but will the Yankee slugger finish the season in the pantheon of all-time great dinger kings? Reds first baseman Joey Votto penned some emotional thoughts about playing in the Field of Dreams game against the Cubs in Iowa on Thursday. Plus, the Field of Dreams game got The Rush thinking about other possible baseball movie-themed games… can you say, Sandlot?!?!
Video Transcript
- Here is a Judge, who absolutely annihilates that ball. My goodness, he's done it again. Aaron Judge with his 45th home run of the season. It is August 10th.
JARED QUAY: Aaron Judge hit his 45th home run of the season last night.
- Go Yankees.
JARED QUAY: Actually, the Yankees end up losing the game to the Mariners, 4 to 3. But who cares, because Judge is smashing records. Through 112 games this season, Judge has 99 RBIs, and his 45 dingers looks mighty impressive in comparison to Yankees legend, Roger Maris, who had 41 home runs through 112 games in his record-breaking 1961 season.
All Rise is currently on pace to hit 65 home runs this season. When you look at the all-time single season home run leaders, that number will put Judge in the long ball pantheon with the steroid era dudes.
- What, too soon?
JARED QUAY: And ahead of presumably non-HGH dabbling greats, Maris and Ruth. Speaking of old timey baseball, the Field of Dreams game is going down in Iowa tonight, where the Cubs and Reds will play near the location of the classic 1989 movie.
- Build it, he will come.
JARED QUAY: Cincinnati star Joey Votto tweeted about what the film means to him. We won't show you the entire thread because it contains spoilers to a movie that you've had 33 years to watch. But, I'm courteous like that. Anyway, the Reds first baseman has the feels ahead of the game, saying, quote, "Getting the opportunity to play a game at the mythical field that sowed the seed of hope for a Major League Baseball career is a significant moment for me."
- That's deep.
JARED QUAY: Why didn't anybody tell me Joey Votto was a goddamn poet? My eyes is almost moist, man, reading that. Anyways, I think the Field of Dreams game is cool and all, but what I need to see is the MLB set up a Sandlot game.
- Sandlot, shortcut you guys, let's go.
JARED QUAY: Instead of entering through the cornfield, you get a mastiff to chase the starters down the street and into the dugout.
- Go! Sandlot, Sandlot, Sandlot.
JARED QUAY: I feel like the Angels got to be a part of this Sandlot game, just so we could see Shohei Ohtani miked up and doing this bit from the movie.
- I'm the Great Bambino.
JARED QUAY: Ohtani has a legit claim to that comparison after becoming the first major leaguer to record 10 pitching wins and 10 home runs in a single season since Babe Ruth did it in 1918. Negro league players Bullet Rogen and Ed Rau also joined the 10 in 10 club in 1922, in 1927, respectively. And we at The Rush won't let you forget it.
Now for the Sandlot game. James Earl Jones needs to be calling the play-by-play, of course. And I know it's from a different movie, but Tom Hanks has to be there managing the team and yelling at the players from the dugout. There's no crying. There is no crying in baseball. Tom Hanks said it, which means it has to be true.
