Outside The Confines: The final Friday, and number 61

Well, friends, I’m sorry to say it, but this is the final Friday of baseball’s regular season. And since about four teams would need to cease to exist in order for the Cubs to get into the postseason, this is the last Friday and last weekend of Cubs baseball in 2022.

Somber, and yet, what a year it has been.

And one of the biggest stories of this year and most certainly this week has been Judge-watch, as baseball fans clamored (some quite literally) to watch the big moment Aaron Judge hit home run 61 to tie fellow Yankee Roger Maris. As it stands today, Judge is now tied for both the Yankees’ record and the American League record, and with six games remaining in the regular season, there is ample opportunity left for him to break the record still (provided teams stop walking him intentionally).

Here are some stories on Judge’s big moment.

First up, not everyone was thrilled with the guy who caught the ball. Especially not his wife.

• James Wagner looks at the historic moment for the New York Times.
• Roger Maris’s son believes Judge is the “real” home run king and MLB should do something to acknowledge him. (AP) (On the off chance there are new baseball fans reading who don’t know the context, there are three players with more home runs than Judge and Maris: Sammy Sosa with 66, Mark McGwire with 70, and Barry Bonds with 73. Since all three have since been called out for steroid use in their prime there are some who feel their records are illegitimate. I, for one, simply recall how thrilling the 1998 home run battle between Sosa and McGwire was at the time. Anyway, this aside was strictly for those who wanted to know why there would be debate over this. We don’t gatekeep baseball history here at BCB!)
• Bryan Hoch shares Judge’s comments on the historic home run.
• Lindsay Adler and Ken Rosenthal look at the adjustments Judge has made to get him to this major season. ($)
• And more from Adler on the big moment. ($)

Let’s get into today’s links.

• In light of Aaron Judge making a push for the Triple Crown, the last man to get that title, Miguel Cabrera, reflects on that milestone year. Story by Jason Beck.
• Ben Clemens is here to tell you why he doesn’t think the Guardians have what it takes to win in the postseason.
• Love it or hate it, the pitch clock is shaving almost 30 minutes off baseball games in the minors. (AP)
• Alden Gonzalez looks at the golden age of Dodger baseball, but wonders why the team only has one ring.
• A familiar antagonist has a new job starting soon!

• Michael Bauman thinks Sandy Alcantara is the most important pitcher in the NL postseason run.
• Jay Jaffe looks at the best players born in the 1960s who haven’t made it into Cooperstown.
• Sure, Rays’ slugger Harold Ramirez looks cool with blue hair, but did you know he was doing it in support of autism awareness? Story by Jason Jones. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Guess Ted was pretty good.

And tomorrow will be a better day, Buster. Make it so.