Yankees: Judge and Stanton Could Make History in 2019
By Manny Gómez
In the history of MLB, only once has there ever been a pair of 50-HR teammates. In 2019, can Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton of the Yankees become only the second pair ever to do it?
Last season, the New York Yankees set a new single-season home run record by hitting 267 HR as a team. They did this despite Aaron Judge missing the better part of 2-months due to injury and Giancarlo Stanton battling a hamstring issue for the last portion of the season.
In 2017, the pair actually combined to hit 111 HR – Stanton mashed 59 and Judge hit 52 – albeit on different teams. Still, that would’ve fallen short of the all-time record set in 1961, when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle combined to hit 115 HR.
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As it stands, according to Cliff Corcoran of Sports on Earth, only 5x in the history of MLB have a pair of teammates combined to hit 100 or more home runs. Only once, has their ever been a pair of 50-HR teammates, the aforementioned Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961.
1961 – Yankees: Roger Maris (61) and Mickey Mantle (54) hit 115
2001 – Giants: Barry Bonds (73) and Rich Aurilia (37) hit 110
1927 – Yankees: Babe Ruth (60) and Lou Gehrig (47) hit 107
1998 – Cardinals: Mark McGwire (70) and Ray Lankford (31) hit 101
2002 – Rangers: Alex Rodriguez (57) and Rafael Palmeiro (43) hit 100
With a fresh start on the horizon for Giancarlo Stanton in New York and a – fingers crossed – healthy season ahead for Aaron Judge, there’s no question that the pair can become only the 2nd teammates ever to hit 50 HR each.
The question is, can the dynamic duo combine to hit more than 115 HR?
To accomplish the feat, both Judge and Stanton will have to hit at least 55+ HR a piece, which has never been done before.
Considering that the pair currently are the premier power hitters in the game – Judge and Stanton have combined to lead MLB in exit velocity for two straight seasons now – if there was ever a chance to break the record, now is the time.
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If you’re a Yankees fan, 2019 should be fun to watch regardless of the result.