After a long time, the New York Yankees have found a great offensive duo in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. This duo has been reminding the fans of the great franchise duos of the past. Several great players have donned the Pinstripe uniform in the past and won many World Series. Since the time of the ‘GOAT’ Babe Ruth, the NY side has been enjoying a great legacy. Even to this day, the Boston Red Sox cannot forget the “Curse of the Bambino.” Why did they trade the Bambino to the Bronx Bombers? It has been a long history, and the Red Sox took a long time to end that ‘Curse.’
Then, they have won a few World Series in the 21st century. However, it was no match for the 27 times the Pinstripes won the Big Dance.’ Clearly, the NY Yankees were the greatest MLB team in the last century. They owe a great deal of gratitude to the great duos like Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle-Roger Maris, and so on for their tremendous success. But it has been a long time since they have won the ‘Big Dance’ in 2009. Can the Judge-Soto duo end that jinx?
How Can Aaron Judge And Juan Soto Prove That They Are Among The Great Franchise Duos?
Lately, Marcus Stroman, the starting pitcher of the Yankees, mentioned that Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are a better pair than Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. This comment attracted a lot of fans in the Bronx and several from all over the world. The starting pitcher wrote precisely, “But better” to place the Judge-Soto duo ahead of the iconic Ruth-Gehrig. This comment came after Wednesday’s game when Aaron Judge and Juan Soto combined for three home runs against the Cleveland Guardians. Currently, the California native is sitting at the top of the most home run list this season with 48. On the other hand, the Dominican slugger is number five on that list with 36 home runs. However, most of the Yankees fans found it hard to agree with Marcus Stroman. Basically, these fans say that the Ruth-Gehrig duo defined a decade of baseball.
Moreover, some said that they were a different beast with several World Series victories to support that fact. One fan wrote, “This will be a conversation only when the Judge-Soto duo will win a f***ing World Series.” However, some other fans agreed with the starting pitcher, saying, “Since then, the game has progressed a lot, hence, Stroman is right.” Then, there were some netizens who felt for Stroman, saying, “Now, fans in the Bronx will rip the hurler, calling him ‘disrespectful.'” Well, numbers don’t lie but it’s true that Aaron Judge and Juan Soto must prove their worth, winning the ‘Big Dance.’
The Best Seasons Of The Two Great Yankees Duos
Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth dominated many seasons at the plate, almost for a decade. But 1927 was the best performance of that iconic duo. In terms of bWAR, Babe Ruth had 12.6 while his partner in baseball crime had 11.8. The Bambino hit 60 home runs in 1927 when Gehrig hit 47 homers. That year, Ruth was hitting .356 with 158 runs, 165 RBIs, and 192 hits. On the other hand, Gehrig averaged .373, 173 RBIs, 149 runs scored and 218 hits. In 1927, the Gehrig-Ruth duo combined for 107 home runs and 24.4 bWAR.
Coming to 2024, there is still a month remaining for the regular season to end and the Judge-Soto duo combines for 81 home runs at the moment. Aaron Judge (11.0 bWAR) and Juan Soto (9.1 bWAR) have a combined 19.1 bWAR. Hence, it is quite tough for the Judge-Soto duo to catch up to the 1927 Gehrig-Ruth’s record this year. If next season, Soto stays as a Yankee, then the duo can have another go at it.
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