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NEW YORK — Hours before Aaron Judge hit an American League record-breaking 62 home runs in Game 161 in Texas, he knew something was wrong.
The Yankees had a doubleheader that day, and while batting practice in the cage before the team’s first game, the judges felt sick. Since then, he had hit only one home run.
So between matches, Judge texted his longtime personal hitting coach, Richard Schenck, telling him he felt his “direction” wasn’t where it should be. If correct, the judge’s shoulder should be facing the second base side of the bag at the start of the swing. This was a symptom of a problem that needed fixing.
The judge sent Schenk a video of his batting practice. After the coach reviewed the slugger’s own assessment, the judges made the necessary corrections for Game 2. He led the game with a historic home run.
“The last two weeks, over and over again,” Schenk said. athletic Recently, “He was missing or fouling pitches he could have hit a mile in June.”
Judge is a perfectionist when it comes to hitting. Prior to the season, for the first time in his career, he and Schenck scheduled private hitting sessions in advance. Sometimes their work would come early in the morning before the game or around midnight after the game. And even when it became clear that the judges were going to do something special, he demanded more direction. , Judge became the 16th captain in Yankees franchise history.
“I’m speechless,” Judge said Wednesday at a press conference where the honor was officially announced along with a nine-year, $360 million contract extension. surprised.”
In past seasons, Schenk and Judge met every few weeks to do some extra work at a private hitting facility. Meetups were usually triggered by struggles. If a judge felt upset, he asked for a full diagnosis. Sessions took place while the team was traveling or at home in New York. They last about an hour.
The judge saw a video of his hack from Tee. Satisfied with these swings, Schenk underhanded his flip. The judge’s swing path mirrors that of Giants legend Barry Bonds. Schenk once imitated it himself in order to become a better men’s league fastpitch softball hitter. The idea is that if a hitter can instantly speed up the bat on pitch release, he will be able to see the ball faster, which Schenk calls “launch speed.”
That advantage makes the fastball look slower and gives the hitter more leeway to adjust when throwing an off-speed ball. Appeared during his AL MVP campaign for Judge. According to FanGraphs, he hit a fastball this season and he led the league in value with 43.0 runs. The next closest was Jordan, where he scored 29.4 for Alvarez. Judge also led the league in hitting sliders with a run value of 24.2, and the next closest hitter he had was Nathaniel Lowe with a 14.9.
“Corvettes and Volkswagens get to 100 mph, but the Corvette gets there faster,” Schenk said. “Aaron has learned to start earlier and slower to complete the load faster so that when he decides to swing, the swing is immediate. He doesn’t have to put his hands up to swing, he doesn’t have to put his feet down to swing after taking the swing, he’s in position to swing, and his quickness makes him dangerous It doesn’t matter what the pitcher is trying to throw as long as he has the speed to fire.”
In the midst of one of the greatest individual offensive seasons in modern baseball history, Schenk was at a loss. what should he be coaching? When players are chasing his legendary record set in 1961, nothing more to say. But the hitherto perfectionist Judge wanted more guidance. It was part of his plan.
Up until this season, Schenk was basically on-call, only working with the judges when summoned by Slugger. That’s why in 2017, after winning the Home Run Derby in his rookie season, the judges felt his swing wasn’t right. July and August were filled with strikeouts before he regained his form. But even though he was a rookie, Schenck recalled that the judges never panicked. He was confident in devoting his extra work, so he knew he would turn it around.Their arrangement worked.
Entering the year of the walk, the judge demanded a change.
For the first time since working with Schenck, the two planned their visit in advance. Judges adopted a swing and stance that more closely mirrored his swing and stance during the 2017 season when he hit 52 homers and was named Rookie of the Year. The results seemed immediate. Judges were more often in control when the launch position was loaded and the pitch was released. For Schenk, that was the biggest reason for Judge’s success.
The judges string together what is arguably the best-stepping year in baseball history. . However, the judges refused to change course. Meetings had become part of his routine and he didn’t want them to be interrupted.
This is another example of their dedication to the pursuit of greatness, a trait that made it easy for the Yankees to name Judge the franchise’s first captain since Derek Jeter.
“I only knew that I went through the Yankees organization, so that means a lot to me,” Judge said Wednesday. It’s all about one thing: playing for the fans, I can’t put it into words, it’s such an incredible feeling, it’s a family, the fans are a family, you (the media) are a family, with everyone. The opportunity to build this relationship is what I am all about.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said what he most appreciated about Judge’s season was how all his teammates responded to his personal successes. Anthony Rizzo called him the gold standard and the total package, arguing that he should be the highest-paid player in the sport on Judge’s behalf. He said he would need to be named captain if he were to re-sign with . Mid-season acquisition Harrison Bader spoke about how the judges made him feel welcome, even when Bader was wearing boots recovering from plantar fasciitis. made it a point to attend the judges’ press conferences in person.
“When you look at the season he has had — a historically great season — pay attention to how everyone reacts to it. Every step of the way, we all probably enjoyed it more than Aaron because of the way he delivers every day and the consistency of who he is. Whether you’re walking the house, a rookie calling up for the first time, a trade deadline deal, a superstar, a staff member, a clubhouse attendant.”
Owner Hal Steinbrenner said he did not use the title of captain as a bargaining tactic during negotiations. did.
At 3am Pacific time on December 7th, Steinbrenner called the judges from the side of a highway in Italy. Before Steinbrenner jumped to the phone, both the Giants and Padres were willing to give Judge at least a nine-year contract. The Yankees were holding at 8. The judge said he was ready to go elsewhere if the Yankees didn’t make a ninth-year offer. When the deal was verbally agreed, Steinbrenner told the judges that former Yankees captain Thurman Manson and Willie Randolph were his two favorite players. asked the judges to follow in their footsteps and become the next captain.
The judge said he heard so much that he didn’t talk about what felt like five minutes.
On Wednesday, there was a final surprise waiting for the judges in Steinbrenner’s suite at Yankee Stadium, where he officially signed the contract. Jeter was present to pass the captain’s torch to the judges. Judge said he spoke with Jeter several times during the free agency process and asked for advice.
Jeter first met the judges at Captains Camp in 2013. This is an event that Jeter has held for his minor leaguers. The Yankees had just won the judges with his 32nd pick in the draft. What Jeter first stood out for was not only the size of the judges, but also his attention. He wasn’t just watching the action, he was willing to receive feedback.
“His success is entirely my fault,” Jeter said jokingly.
When the Yankees signed DJ LeMahieu in 2019, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said his exemplary leadership style reminded him of Don Mattingly. Cashman called Lemahue a transformative at the clubhouse. His influence later extends from veterans to judges who have learned to find his voice.
The judge’s work ethic was never questioned. It reappeared as he came close to hitting a record-breaking home run.
Schenk said the home run chasing didn’t wear on his clients until he hit number 60 in late September. But not because breaking Roger Maris’ records was his main focus. That’s because he felt like his routine at the plate was falling apart.
Part of the reason, according to Schenk, is that the judges went into what’s called a “no, no, yes mode, rather than a yes, yes, yes, no mode.” Judges made swing decisions too late after the pitch had been made, instead of being recognized as soon as the ball left the pitcher’s hand.
“They hadn’t thrown a strike on him in those two weeks, and he fell for it,” Schenk said. there wasn’t so sometimes a good, hit ball came in the middle and he fouled it because he wasn’t ready for it you could see his barrel wasn’t fast he hit every pitch It wasn’t fast because he wasn’t ready, and he fell into that mode because they weren’t pitching him.
The judges got out of that mode by doing extra work — even if it meant hitting midnight. But Cashman said he felt a difference with the judges that went beyond his work ethic. He said he has not hesitated to do so.
Jeter said there was a difference in being officially named the Yankees captain.
“I think it’s how you are perceived by other people,” Jeter said. I think you tend to look at how you treat free agents come to New York and New York is not an easy place to play and those guys look at you and how you treat yourself Fans love history and tradition, it’s not a title to be thrown lightly.”
(Aaron Judge top photo: Jessica Alcheh / USA Today)
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