The Yankees as a franchise are synonymous with the past. Present players donning the pinstripes are often bound to their predecessors, while current cores or regimes sometimes helplessly tied to more successful teams of years past.
With a history book as thick and profound as the Bombers, it’s hard to escape the shadows of the hallowed numbers that look down from beyond the left field bleachers, or the “take me back” memories that sprouted from habitual championships.
But now, as Aaron Judge looks to take on the Yankees’ storied past, many can’t help but fixate on the future.
For some Yankee fans, Judge’s march towards one of the most illustrious records in franchise history is coupled with the fear of the unknown when it comes to his future with the team. As each home run sails over the wall, and Judge makes his trips around the bases, it is hard to cheer while simultaneously fighting off the painful wondering.
How many more times will Judge make this trot in pinstripes? Will arguably the greatest homegrown star since Derek Jeter topple a Yankee record that has stood for more than six decades, only to take off the pinstripes for good just weeks later?
It is a somber thought indeed, but one that has to be placed on the backburner, at least for now. Judge’s approach to 61 is simply too historic, too improbable to be tainted by what may happen in December. It’s a difficult task, but as Judge stares down the Yankees’ decorated past, it has never been more important to enjoy the present.
Judge is closing in on surpassing Roger Maris and his iconic home run record. He is flirting with a potential triple crown, an honor no Yankee has earned since Mickey Mantle in 1956. He is looking to become the first player in baseball to out-homer is competition by at least 20 home runs since Babe Ruth in 1928, and the only player besides Ruth to do so. As he looks to slug his way to the record books and join some of the most recognizable names in the history of the franchise and the sport, it would be a shame if a celebration was diluted by the fear of what comes next.
At some point, Judge and the Yankees will sit down and try to work out a long-term deal. It may not work out. But that’s a worry for another day. What Judge is doing in the here and now is too special, too rare, to be clouded by anything else.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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