Let’s assume for a second that you are not a baseball fan so you have no idea who Aaron Judge is and why fans of the team he plays for, the New York Yankees, were upset at Apple. Judge is currently baseball’s greatest slugger having hit 60 home runs this year. That is a significant number because the American League record (and the Yankee team record) is 61 which is held by Roger Maris who achieved the feat back in 1961.
Baseball history could have been limited to Apple TV+ viewers on Friday night
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But then came the steroid era and Barry Bonds transformed himself from a greyhound with a slight build to a muscle-bound freak who pounded 73 homers in 2001. And while that is the major league record, many dismiss it because players like Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire used chemicals to build themselves up. But no one accuses Aaron Judge of using steroids and if you cancel out the records set by players who doped, Maris’ 61-round trippers is considered the real record to break by baseball purists.
After a seven-day free trial, Apple’s streaming television platform is $4.99 per month. Those who wanted to watch the game could have signed up for a free trial and then canceled it after seven days. But not everyone has access to Apple TV+, especially older fans. And some sports bars in the Big Apple, normally expecting a huge till on Friday from Yankee fans watching the game while buying a few drinks, might not have been able to “tune in” Apple TV+.
The Yankees were offering Apple a trade to allow its cable network to show the game
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However, Yankee fans who had to do what this writer did as a young fan and listen to the game on the radio (it’s actually more exciting that way) got the last laugh. Judge did not hit a home run on Friday night, going 1-4 with two strikeouts. He still is looking to become the first Triple Crown winner in baseball since Miguel Cabrera pulled off that task for the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Judge leads the American League in batting, home runs, and runs batted in which would give him the Triple Crown if he ends up topping these categories at the end of the regular season.
