On Monday, Seattle’s Cal Lowry hit another home run, bringing his total to 50 for the season, a significant milestone for Major League Baseball.
A few years back, Aaron Judge had already reached 51 homers through the same number of games, setting records for both the franchise and the American League.
Judge is quite aware of what the Mariners’ catchers are accomplishing this season, mentioning that both he and Lowry are leading contenders for the AL MVP award.
“Cal Lowry is an amazing athlete and a fantastic ambassador for the sport,” Judge shared. “I really enjoy seeing him play.”
However, that doesn’t mean Judge is pulling for Lowry to surpass him. The Mariners are currently trying to secure the second AL wildcard spot, trailing the Yankees by half a game.
When asked about Lowry’s possible chase for Judge’s record, he noted, “We’re focused on wild cards and the division. I’m not rooting for anyone outside of the Yankees.”
Judge entered free agency in 2022 after surpassing Roger Maris’s longstanding record and eventually signed a nine-year, $360 million deal.
Amidst concerns about the integrity of past records held by players linked to steroids—like Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire—Judge commented, “It seems some people are more concerned about that than I am. To me, it’s about what constitutes a true home run record.”
He continues to serve as a designated hitter while managing an elbow issue. Before Monday’s game, he practiced throwing and participating in other drills as the Yankees triumphed 10-5 over the Nationals.
The Yankees have yet to provide a timeline for Judge’s return to the outfield. Recently, Cody Bellinger started on the field, while Giancarlo Stanton took a break after playing three out of four games against the Red Sox.
Fernando Cruz is expected to be back in action on Tuesday. Late Monday, the Yankees opted for Yerry de Los Santos after he struggled through 2²/₃ innings, allowing four runs.
With pitching options limited, the team decided to stick with the rotation instead of recalling Cruz sooner.
Manager Aaron Boone mentioned that Cruz was ready to play on Sunday, but the team chose to keep Blackburn active as they considered roster adjustments.
Blackburn, who pitched 71 pitches over 3¹/3 innings on Saturday, serves as rotation backup for a team lacking other options. The left-hander recently pitched 50 pitches at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Austin Slater remains sidelined due to a hamstring strain and is reportedly several weeks away from being cleared to play again.
