John Sterling steals back Yankees radio dates to follow Aaron Judge chase

The New York Yankees are rounding the home stretch, ready to say goodbye to a sometimes historic and often bizarre 2022 season as the playoffs (theoretically) approach (nothing’s been clinched yet).

By the time the season ends, we could be remembering it very differently. From Scott Effross to Harrison Bader, the Yankees are about to welcome back a fleet of impact players. Anthony Rizzo returned with a flourish on Sunday in Milwaukee. If things break just right, there’s still a chance the Bombers can recapture their first-half glory.

But … if nothing else, there’s still Aaron Judge. From All-Star to main event, Judge has boomed and blossomed this season beyond anyone’s wildest expectations, hitting his 58th and 59th homers of the season Sunday to get within two blasts of Roger Maris’ AL record with 16 games to go.

You probably shouldn’t miss those 16 games, if you can avoid it. Turns out, even people within the organization are changing their schedules around to be present for the big moment.

WFAN’s John Sterling, who announced earlier in the summer that he was mostly going to be taking road games off for the remainder of the year, has reportedly bumped Ryan Ruocco from covering the Yankees’ road series in Toronto from Sept. 26-28 to make absolutely certain he’ll be in the booth if Judge passes the historic milestones he’s chasing.

Yankees broadcaster John Sterling is going to Toronto just to chase Aaron Judge

Hopefully, for everyone’s sake, Judge’s shot at history isn’t still lingering during that Blue Jays series. Needing two homers to tie and three homers to pass Maris, Judge and the Yankees are about to embark on a six-game homestand featuring two against the Pirates and four against the Boston Red Sox.

Friday’s Sox game is an Apple TV exclusive, creating a whole new set of problems for everyone involved, but we digress.

The bottom line is, with Judge so close to the marker, it would be additionally meaningful if he could do the damn thing at home. He has a prime chance to get the monkey off his back this week against an NL Central team playing out the string and a scuffling chief rival, in front of raucous crowds in the Bronx.

Sterling clearly needs to be in that booth for the big moment, and fans surely understand that ambition. That said, it’d be best for everyone if history didn’t fall on a hostile night in Toronto.

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