The history books can be rewritten at any time.
Day, night. Early, late. First inning, ninth inning. Or anywhere in between.
So, it’s always best to stay in position if fortunate enough to have a view of history’s next defining moment. Never leave Times Square on New Year’s Eve at 11:45 p.m.
Because when the ball drops - or, in the case of reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge, when the ball goes over the fence - only a select few will forever get to say, “I was there when ...”
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I had been in attendance at baseball games to witness a 3,000th hit, a 4,000th strikeout, a 600th home run and a 300th win.
I was in the building for a perfect game, a pennant-clinching walk-off home run and a World Series clincher.
I had even gone to a game where the last names of both the starting pitcher and catcher started with a lowercase "d" -- that was Jacob deGrom and Travis d'Arnaud.
Sports
Baseball, perhaps more than most sports, presents the opportunity to witness something you’ve never seen before.
I, like almost all, had never been in attendance when a player hit his 60th home run of the season. At the time, witnesses to that accomplishment were limited to those in attendance at one of the eight games where the revered baseball milestone had previously been reached.
For that reason, as I prepared to write a story at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 20, I was stunned to see fans leaving.
Judge stood in the on-deck circle with the New York Yankees trailing by four. He – and a crowd hoping for a hit, walk, error or any outcome that would bring Judge to the plate – watched as Luis Trevino grounded to third to end the bottom of the eighth inning.
As Judge removed his batting helmet and gloves, many in the stands began to make their way to the exits.
It didn't matter that Judge was guaranteed to lead off the bottom of the ninth with a chance to become just the sixth player in major league history to hit 60 home runs in a single season.
Children had to get to bed, adults had to wake up early.
Witnessing history isn't always convenient.
The Pittsburgh Pirates quickly went down in order during what was a 12-pitch top of the ninth, bringing Judge to the plate in the bottom of the inning. After a first-pitch strike came three straight balls, each drawing boos from the crowd that remained. Another taken pitch out of the zone would have sent nearly all that remained to the subway or parking garage, safely behind the eighth-inning departees already on the Cross Bronx Expressway.
Instead, Judge swung. Those who stayed witnessed history. Those who left wished they’d stayed.
The ball traveled 430 feet to left field, pulling Judge into a tie with Babe Ruth and setting off a frenzy for fans who had just watched exactly what they had hoped to see when they purchased a ticket to an otherwise inconsequential baseball game.
For much of the game, the leftfield stands had been filled to capacity with glove-wearing fans hoping to catch a lottery ticket in the shape of a baseball. Those who remained when Judge finally hit it their way battled for the valuable baseball like football players trying to gain possession of a fumble.
The celebration was much more muted for Judge – with the slugger still needing one more homer to tie Roger Maris’ American League record, and the Yankees still needing three runs to tie the Pirates.
Those three runs crossed the plate soon after when Giancarlo Stanton crushed a walk-off grand slam to give the Yankees a thrilling 9-8 victory, which MLB Network recently ranked as the seventh-best game of the 2022 MLB season.
Stanton’s homer was a rarity in itself, becoming just the 32nd recorded walk-off grand slam while a team trailed by three runs since 1925, per MLB.com.
Upstaging a 60th home run in the same inning only further tormented those who traded in their “I was there when …” moment for an “I left early when …” conversation starter.
Luckily, it was the start of a six-game homestand for the Yankees. So, those who did leave had the option of returning to Yankee Stadium over the following day in hopes of witnessing No. 61 or even No. 62 hit on Bronx soil.
But …
The history books can be rewritten anywhere.
Home, away. Near, far. New York, Canada.
Judge, who was named the 16th captain in Yankee history in December, went without a home run over the next seven games. That drought led to fans in Toronto attending the Yankees’ series with the Blue Jays witnessing Judge hit his 61st home run to tie Maris. Days later, those in Texas watched Judge complete a historic season by hitting his 62nd home run to set the new record.
Fans arrived hoping to witness history, remained within view and saw Judge write the next chapter.
They’re now among the select few that forever get to say, “I was there when ...”
