Aaron Judge's First and 100th Homers Nearly Identical

Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees' fan favorite slammed his 100th career home run last night in Seattle. Judge's 100th homer was hit some three years and eleven days after he hit his very first Major League homer at Yankee Stadium. The remarkable thing about the first and the 100th were how similarly they were hit.

See for yourself. This was Judge's first career homer, courtesy of MLB.com:


Here is Aaron Judge's 100th home run, also courtesy of MLB.com



They look pretty darned similar, didn't they!? Both were hit to center and though they were hit in two different parks, both homers banged more than half way up the batter's eye. How similar were they beyond this eye test?

Aaron Judge's very first MLB homer on August 13, 2016, traveled 446 feet. Last night's homer was projected at 462 feet. That is within 16 feet of his first one. Masahiro Tanaka was the starter for both games: Judge's first and last night. Both Judge homers made the score, 2-0 in the Yankees' favor. The pitches Judge hit for his first and last homers were in similar quadrants and both were up in the strike zone. The following is from Brooks Baseball and shows the placement of both. The first one is the first career homer off of Matt Andriese and the second is the 100th homer:

The similarities pretty much die down after that. Judge was batting eighth when he hit is first homer. He homered on the fourth pitch and it was an 87 mph cutter. Last night, Judge was batting second, hit the first pitch and it was a 92 mph fastball.

The one huge similarity with both homers is that they add to the Aaron Judge legend. For many of us, he is the reason we stay up late when the games are on the West Coast. He is the anticipation every time he comes to the plate. And when he hits one, he is the thrill that makes baseball so fun to watch.

It has been a fun ride watching Aaron Judge from his first game until now. Last night was a milestone. Hopefully, it will not be the last.

MLB Game Picks - Monday: June 15, 2015

We are not going to talk about yesterday. We are going to pretend that it never happened and move on. If you ask me, I will deny all association with it.

Moving forward, Monday's picks:

• The White Sox over the Pirates: The Pirates have been hot, but have only faced nine lefty starters all season. They have handled them well, but Carlos Rodon is a different animal altogether. Francisco Liriano has been good of late.
• The Tigers over the Reds: Neither this year's Anibal Sanchez or Jon Moscot excite me very much, but the Tigers are home and all things considered equal, should win.
• The Braves over the Red Sox: The Red Sox just got drubbed over the weekend. It was a bloodbath. I'm surprised the manager is still there. How can you pick them to win these days? Rick Porcello hasn't been pitching well. Williams Perez seems to bend but not break too much.
• The Yankees over the Marlins: The Yankees lose the DH so Alex Rodriguez sits. But Masahiro Tanaka should overcome that deficiency. Tom Koehler is a decent pitcher though.
• The Mets over the Blue Jays: The Jays lose one of their big bats and again, the law of averages is weighting heavy here with this win streak. Noah Syndergaard has been disappointing. Mark Buehrle is Mark Buehrle. Take the good and the bad.
• The Nationals over the Rays: I am going with this pick thinking Bryce Harper can at least DH today. Someone needs to tell the Rays they aren't this good. And Erasmo Ramirez has been the shock of the century thus far. Gio Gonzalez better have a good day or this pick is going down too.
• The Cubs over the Indians: I love the Cubs this year. I love what they are doing with their youth. I sure wish the Yankees would do that. Jake Arrieta gentille Arrieta has been great of late. Trevor Bauer is having a pretty good season for the Indians.
• The Rangers over the Dodgers: The Dodgers know Yovani Gallardo but he has a chance to be good today. Carlos Frias hasn't run into an offense like the Rangers yet this year so it will be a test.
• The Astros over the Rockies: Any time Dallas Keuchel is on the mound, I like the Astros' chances. Chad Bettis has has some spectacular games himself this season. If he is on, this becomes a bullpen game.
• The Royals over the Brewers: This is two road interleague series in a row for the Royals, which seems unfair. They need their DH. Even so, they did not fare well in St. Louis, so they might take it out on the Brewers. Kyle Lohse will be intent on not letting that happen. Edinson Volquez goes for the Royals.
• The Cardinals over the Twins: John Lackey is so hard to figure sometimes. I think tonight will be one of his good games. The Twins will go with Trevor May, who has been up and down. No DH for the Twins.
• The Angels over the Diamondbacks: Whenever I bash mouth Jered Weaver, he proves to me he can still win games with his swill. The Angels need to hit for this pick to work and Robbie Ray will try to keep that from happening.
• The Padres over the Athletics: Jessie Hahn goes for the A's who lose the DH. Tyson Ross is usually good at home.
• The Mariners over the Giants: Taijuan Walker has had three good starts in a row, so perhaps he is settling down to be the pitcher we expected him to be. Tim Hudson goes for the Giants and pitches these days on knowledge more than stuff.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Orioles over the Phillies: The Phillies get an extra hitter in the lineup. Is that a good thing? Wei-Yin Chen versus Aaron Harang. The hot Oriole offense should stay hot here.

Yesterday: 5-9, June: 97-91, Season: 475-444, Picks of the Day: 36-32

MLB Game Picks - Tuesday: June 9, 2015

I've never been fond of short schedule days. There is no margin for error and the picks can go south in a hurry. Predictably, I went 4-4 yesterday with an incorrect Pick of the Day. Chris Sale was as remarkable as I thought he would be. But I worried correctly about John Lackey, who was pounded. I enjoyed watching the draft last night except that it was drawn out to the nth degree. Wow, that was slow going!  Good luck to all those drafted.

Tuesday's picks:

• The Red Sox over the Orioles: The Red Sox have a good one in Eduardo Rodriguez and he has certainly delivered. He faces Miguel Gonzalez who only seems dominant against the Yankees and no one else in the AL East.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: This pick did not work out yesterday. And it seems a little iffy tonight too. Francisco Liriano is always an adventure and the Brewers are giving a MLB debut to Taylor Jungmann, the team's former #1 draft pick (2011). Jungmann has gotten bashed around a bit this year in the PCL, but that is a tough league for pitchers. Look for a lot of ground balls.
• The Yankees over the Nationals: The Yankees have made it a habit of spanking aces this year (while losing to stiffs) and can deliver their own ace in Masahiro Tanaka. If Tanaka can keep the ball in the stadium, I think he will out-duel Max Scherzer.
• The Blue Jays over the Marlins: I'll take Mark Buehrle at home most of the time. Besides, the Marlins have sunk like a rock since they changed managers. Dan Haren goes for the Fish.
• The Cubs over the Tigers: Anibal Sanchez just doesn't seem to be himself this season. He's usually good in the first half and then fades. He's faded since April. Jon Lester knows these Tigers well (and vice versa).
• The Rays over the Angels: The Rays just keep winning and Nate Karns has been part of that. Matt Shoemaker is capable of being tough though.
• The Reds over the Phillies: Aaron Harang might be safe enough to pick against. I will laugh if he wins though. The guy does do a number on my head. Anthony DeSclafani goes for the Reds.
• The Padres over the Braves: I hate picking against Mike Foltynewicz, especially since I finally memorized how to spell his name. But James Shields doesn't lose.  So I have to go with him.
• The Mets over the Giants: Two good young pitchers toil in this one and it could go either way. "Charlton" Chris Heston has been just fine for the Giants and Noah Syndergaard has shown flashes of brilliance.
• The Astros over the White Sox: Carlos Rodon is certainly capable of striking out fourteen more Astros tonight. But I have to go with Dallas Keuchel, one of my favorite pitchers in baseball.
• The Twins over the Royals: Trevor May has been a complete surprise to me this season as have the Twins as a whole. The Royals are tough but I am going with May over Chris Young.
• The Rockies over the Cardinals: The Rockies, thanks to the re-emergence of Troy Tulowitzki, are flat out raking right now and at home, I think they can still do the same to Michael Wacha. Jorge De La Rosa is the key to this game though.
• The Athletics over the Rangers: It's a Sonny Gray day and that is enough for me, especially when he is home. The Rangers go with Nick Martinez, who has been very good himself this season.
• The Dodgers over the Diamondbacks: Robbie Ray has pitched wonderfully since his call up and has nine strikeouts to only one walk. The Dodgers are just a different team when Yasiel Puig is on the field. Carlos Frias pitches for them.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Indians over the Mariners: I don't care if he is just 3-6. You can't pick against Corey Kluber. I cannot say the same thing concerning Roenis Elias.

Yesterday: 4-4, June: 56-49, Season: 434-402, Picks of the Day: 34-28

MLB Game Picks - Wednesday: June 3, 2015

Man! There were a lot of games yesterday. When all was said and done, I finished at 11-6 for the day. I picked three of the four games of the double-headers correctly.  The Pick of the Day was wrong (again) as Noah Syndergaard got roughed around by the Padres...a development I obviously did not expect. My best picks of the day were the Indians over the Royals and Clay Buchholz beating the Twins.

Sixteen more games on tap for tonight! The picks:

• The Red Sox over the Twins: I really like this Eduardo Rodriguez kid. He has poise and no fear and I think he will survive better today better than Phil Hughes does in Fenway Park.
• The Red Sox over the Twins: Yes, I am picking a sweep. I think the Red Sox will hit Trevor May and Rick Porcello will pitch well. The fire the manager talk will settle down for a day or so (unfortunately) .
• The Cardinals over the Brewers: Judging by how this week is going, the Cardinals will either win, 1-0 or love 1-0. I like John Lackey at home in St. Louis, but also think that Jimmy Nelson will pitch well.
• The Braves over the Diamondbacks: I have come to like Mike Foltynewicz because I learned how to spell his name without looking early on. He hasn't pitched poorly either. Rubby De La Rosa goes for the D-backs. Caution: The D-backs have had their way so far this series.
• The Yankees over the Mariners: If the Yankees' middle relief can hold up and bridge Masahiro Tanaka to the late inning guys, the Yankees should take care of the rest with just enough offense against Taijuan Walker.
• The Giants over the Pirates: The Giants will salvage one game of this series with a win today behind Tim Hudson. Francisco Liriano won his last outing, but so cannot be counted upon. The Pirates are hot as a team though.
• The Blue Jays over the Nationals: Taylor and Tyler seem to be the new cool names in baseball. I'm not sure they have overtaken the Brandons, but it seems close when combining those variations. There will be one less if Taylor Jordan doesn't pitch better than he did last time. Mark Buehrle goes for the Jays.
• The Athletics over the Tigers: It's Sonny Gray Day! That's all I've got to say. Come what may from Anibal Sanchez's day, the A's win will be this picking day's halfway.
• The Cubs over the Marlins: Christian Yelich is in a terrible slump and Giancarlo Stanton is on a bit of a strikeout jag. Both of those facts could be exploited by Jon Lester today. Dan Haren has leveled off after a big start to the season.
• The White Sox over the Rangers: The Rangers are extremely hot right now and Nick Martinez has pitched well all season. But I just cannot pick against Chris Sale who is capable of no hitting a team on any given day.
• The Astros over the Orioles: I have no idea who is going to win this game. None. Lance McCullers has pitched really well, but doesn't go deep in the game. Miguel Gonzalez is good sometimes and not sometimes. I have no idea.
• The Indians over the Royals: This is risky picking the Indians to beat the Royals twice in a row. But if Corey Kluber is dominant and the Indians get to Jason Vargas, it could happen.
• The Dodgers over the Rockies: I have been riding Mike Bolsinger so far for his young career and I will continue to do so here. I am, however, afraid of him pitching at Coors. Chad Bettis, meanwhile, almost pitched a no-hitter his last time out. Hmmm
• The Padres over the Mets: I would be hesitant to pick Dillon Gee at this point to win any game. But add James Shields to the mix  and my hesitancy goes even higher.
• The Angels over the Rays: Nate Karns has had a pretty solid start to his MLB career. But I can't pick him against the Angels' offense. He is not Chris Archer, after all. Hector Santiago goes for the Angels.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Phillies over the Reds: Mike Leake has leaked a lot lately after a fine start to the season. I think it was because I jumped on him for my fantasy team. It was all downhill from there. Cole Hamels goes for the Phils.

Yesterday: 11-6, June: 16-10, Season: 394-363, Picks of the Day: 30-26

MLB Game Picks - Thursday: April 23, 2015

Last night did not go well at all. In fact, I was afraid of a total ruination when the picks were like 1-6. But most of the later games came out okay (except the Giants instead of the Dodgers). It wasn't a total disaster and the Pick of the Day was right. But it wasn't good either.

Thursday's picks:

• The Pirates over the Cubs: I obviously do not know what to do in this series. I haven't picked one of the games correctly yet. Maybe the fourth one is the charm. I'm going with Jeff Locke over Kyle Hendricks.
• The Marlins over the Phillies: This is another series that I've struggled with. And today is a mess with these two as I have little confidence in David Phelps and Dustin McGowan has pitched five times in relief but it slated to start today. He won't be able to go very deep into the game. Who knows.
• The Yankees over the Tigers: I haven't done well with this series either. Who know that David Price would get pounded? Anibal Sanchez has really struggled. Masahiro Tanaka is coming off a great start. So let's go with that. Hopefully, it won't snow today.
• The Braves over the Mets: Three reasons for this pick. The Mets' winning streak has to end some time. Bartolo Colon has to have a clunker eventually. And lastly, Julio Teheran has an awful lot of talent. We'll see.
• The Brewers over the Reds: Apparently, I am the patron saint of underdogs today. Kyle Lohse has been brutally bad. But he pulls it together tonight? The Brewers score some runs off of Homer Bailey? It could happen...
• The Padres over the Rockies: Another series I am really ralphing on. The bullpens have been deciding these games. And it's been a different bullpen each night. So will it matter what Jordan Lyles and Tyson Ross do?
• The Nationals over the Cardinals: This series is very tight and can go either way. These are the two best teams in the NL in my opinion and they are battling each other like that is true. Max Scherzer should be just a tick better than Michael Wacha. But just a tick...
• The Angels over the Athletics: Both Nick Tropeano and Jesse Chavez are making their first starts of the seasons. They cancel each other out. I'm going with the home team and what I perceive to be the better offense in the Angels.
• The Blue Jays over the Orioles: It's pretty safe to say that these teams don't like each other. I'm just not sure about the Blue Jays if Jose Bautista is out of the lineup. Chris Tillman got bopped his last time out and Drew Hutchison is due for a good game.
• The Rays over the Red Sox: The AL East sure is hard to figure out. As is Clay Buchholz. Jake Odorizzi has been dependable for the Rays. So let's go that way. I have no confidence in this pick from either direction.
• The White Sox over the Royals: It's tough to pick against Yordano Ventura. But don't you have to when Chris Sale is pitching? But say the two starters cancel each other out? Then this pick is in trouble because the Royal's bullpen is pretty killer.

And the Pick of the Day

• The Dodgers over the Giants: Mike Bolsinger makes his first start for the Dodgers. He has been lights out in his two PCL starts. I think he will be terrific. Forget about what happened last year. He was in Arizona. Ryan Vogelsong goes for the Giants.

Yesterday: 6-9, Season: 110-115, Picks of the Day: 9-8

MLB Game Picks - Saturday: April 18, 2015

Finally. I broke through the mire to post a good day of Game Picks. What a relief after two weeks of futility. It would have been even better if Corey Kluber could have held on and let those pesky Twins tie the game and eventually win it in extra innings. And it would have been better if the Blue Jays hadn't brought in Brett Cecil. But no matter, it was a good day and I'm so very relieved.

Saturday's picks:

• The Nationals over the Phillies: Aaron Harang confronts me again. The guy just fills me with dread. Jordan Zimmermann should win. Shouldn't he?
• The Blue Jays over the Braves: R.A. Dickey was bashed up good in his last start. I am hesitant to pick him in this one. And Alex Wood is a pretty good pitcher for the Braves. At the end of the day, the Blue Jays can just bash the baseball and that's what I'm thinking will happen.
• The White Sox over the Tigers: Anibal Sanchez is a good pitcher who got beat badly his last time out. But I'm thinking that is a fluke. However, on the other team is a guy named Chris Sale who is very hard to pick against.
• The Twins over the Indians: The Twins have had a good week of baseball. You might not have noticed, but they slowed the mighty KC train and won that series and now have won the first against the Indians. Phil Hughes will keep it going and Danny Salazar will continue to make us scratch our heads.
• The Cardinals over the Reds: Homer Bailey starts for the Reds after starting the season hurting. Carlos Martinez pitched well in his last start but didn't factor in a decision. I think he'll pitch well again today.
• The Cubs over the Padres: This pick didn't work out yesterday but I'll try it again today. First, Kyle Hendricks is much better than what happened his first start. Secondly, this is the day Chicago falls in love with the bat of Kris Bryant. Tyson Ross, of course, will try to prove otherwise.
• The Orioles over the Red Sox: Clay Buchholz was reviled after his start against the Yankees. He looked terrible and acted worse. And while I'm piling on, make the guy wash his hair for heaven's sake.  It's disgusting. Chris Tillman has to be mighty good to hold back this Red Sox lineup.
• The Pirates over the Brewers: I'm not real confident on this pick. With Kyle Lohse, anything can happen and Jeff Locke never seems like a lock.
• The Angels over the Astros: I really wanted to pick Dallas Keuchel as I think the guy is really good. But the Astros have not played well and C.J. Wilson should have a good day.
• The Mets over the Marlins: Mat Latos will try to improve on his 17+ ERA, but even if he is much better today, Jacob deGrom is one talented young pitcher. Of course, Giancarlo Stanton could always hit like three homers...
• The Yankees over the Bay Rays: The Alex Rodriguez story is so fun right now. Until the next shew drops, I'm having a blast watching him cause curmudgeons to gnash their teeth. Masahiro Tanaka over Jake Odorizzi.
• The Royals over the Athletics: If Yordano Ventura is on, the A's will be able to do little with him. Jesse Hahn was not good in his one loss but his good pitching last year is still in the memory bank.
• The Giants over the Diamondbacks: I keep wanting to call, Chris Heston, "Charlton."  But what I will call him is a good looking young pitcher who has pitched well in both his games. Rubby De La Rosa has started really well. I'm not sure he is the real deal.
• The Rockies over the Dodgers: I'm going for a bit of an upset here. Puig has a hamstring problem and that changes things. Zack Greinke is reliably great, but I think he will be out-pitched by Jordan Lyles. Yeah, Jordan Lyles.

And the Pick of the Day:

• The Mariners over the Rangers: The M's are kind of scuffling right now and need a big performance by Felix Hernandez. Colby Lewis has been strangely effective. I still can't really believe it or in it.

Yesterday: 11-4, Season: 73-81, Picks of the Day: 4-8