Yankees fans and baseball analysts argued over whether Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton can break the record for the most home runs accrued by teammates. Instead, the duo might capture a different, less exciting, record.
Power hitters are worth the strikeouts to some front offices. That’s been the case for the New York Yankees in some respect, hence why they sought certain players in recent years – remember Chris Carter?
The days of the Bronx Bombers were essentially over before a recent resurrection, thanks to the “Baby Bombers.” But, as with several hitters, strikeouts are attached to the flurries of bombs in Yankee Stadium.
Aaron Judge led the league with 208 whiffs last season and broke a notorious record for most consecutive games with a strikeout. A few other players on the club racked up more than 100 punch-outs, though none came close to Judge.
Giancarlo Stanton’s career-high in the category is 170. But opposing pitchers punched the slugging outfielder 24 times across the first 14 games this season. That includes two games in which he whiffed at least five times.
This is an extremely small sample size, but that doesn’t stop projections from having the outfielder with an immense amount of strikeouts this year. He may even surpass Judge’s mark set in 2017.
Together, what if the two strapping hitters penned their names in the MLB history books? Granted, it would be for a remarkably notorious feat.
Both Yankees can set the record for most strikeouts in one season by a set of teammates. Judge already set the franchise record for whiffs in a season last season.
One pair of American League East teammates currently own the honor. And there are clearly plenty of duos capable of notching more than 400 strikeouts combined if they play an entire season. If only guys like Dan Uggla, Adam Dunn and Chris Carter were all on the same team.
Baseball fans are are already focused on the two Bronx Bombers for other reasons. Yet this could be the more prominent “triumph” by the end of the year.
However, the two New York players will have to dethrone these two pairs before they can claim the record.