Judge’s 62nd hR Different Perspective

[Tyruscobb]

Originally Posted by chalupacollects

He's now still the leader but does it deserve the dreaded asterisk?

You could argue that several records have asterisks. The reason is today's players play more games each season, which, in turn, means they have more opportunities to accumulate career statistics.

The AL went from playing 154 games to 162 in 1961, and the NL made the change in 1962. From the 1890s through the early 1960s, each league played 154 games a year.

Accordingly, pre-1961 (AL) and pre-1962 (NL) players had 8 games less each season to accumulate career statistics than more modern day players.

Ty Cobb played 24 years. This equates to 192 lost games (24 years x 8 games a season). Cobb averaged over 174 hits a year. Adding just his seasonal average to his hit total would easily give him more hits than Pete Rose.

So, 8 additional games each season doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up over a 20+ year career.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Ruth and Cobb played in an all-white league, did not have to play at night or deal with all the time zone changes, I think it probably all evens out more or less.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Any pressure on Judge seems to me to have been put on himself. I saw his deciding to test the FA market as a gamble at the time, especially given his spotty health history. But man, did he make the right choice! I wonder, has there ever been a baseball FA who decided to take this kind of gamble in the past and had it work out as well as Judge has? So many stories where it played out in the opposite way...

[Vintagedeputy]

No pressure on Judge? Seriously?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Vintagedeputy

No pressure on Judge? Seriously?

Seriously. What happens if he doesn't break the record, he's worth a few million less? Oh my God, how unthinkable.

[Mike D.]

For me, the REAL home record is Ned Williamson's 1884 record of 27.

Because, if you're going to be arbitrary about things, it's best to REALLY DO IT UP!

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by Mike D.

For me, the REAL home record is Ned Williamson's 1884 record of 27.

Because, if you're going to be arbitrary about things, it's best to REALLY DO IT UP!

Babe Ruth haz Cars and Planes and Penicillin and Indoor Plumbing.

Ned Williamson had to deal with dirt playing fields filled with manure and pot holes, dysentery, traveling to road games by horse or on foot, and the basic misunderstanding that Opium and Blood-letting were performance enhancers.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Mike D.

For me, the REAL home record is Ned Williamson's 1884 record of 27.

Because, if you're going to be arbitrary about things, it's best to REALLY DO IT UP!

This. The amount of arbitrary and after the fact qualifications being put in to produce the outcome people want the outcome to be instead of the actual outcome is a little ridiculous. We all know what the actual record is. Doesn’t mean I like it, but it is what it is.

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Ruth and Cobb played in an all-white league, did not have to play at night or deal with all the time zone changes, I think it probably all evens out more or less.

I can appreciate those difficulties, BUT . . . Babe Ruth is still the true king. He hit homers over 450+ foot fences, for crying out loud. Everyone here should get a copy of the book, "The Year Babe Ruth hit 104 Home Runs." During the 1921 season, his pattern of batted balls would have accounted for over 100 homers in modern ballparks and under modern rules. That year, Ruth hit a 500+ foot home run in every American League park he visited, and, of course, hit more 450+ foot shots than anyone in history. The author (Bill Jenkinson) performed in-depth statistical analysis to make a fair comparison of the conditions under which the game was played in Ruth's era and baseball as it's played today.