Yankees Tandem Fell Shy of Catching Mariners Stars in Baseball History in First Half

Though Juan Soto and Aaron Judge had a great first half of the season for the New York Yankees, they failed to catch the duo of Mariners legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in baseball history.

Alex Rodriguez warms up with shortstop (right) Derek Jeter and outfielder (center) Ken Griffey Jr. during practice at Chase Field in 2006. / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

New York Yankees stars Juan Soto and Aaron Judge had an incredible first half of the season, but they still failed to catch Seattle Mariners legends Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in baseball history.

Per @OptaSTATS on social media:

AL All-Star starters Aaron Judge & Juan Soto of the @Yankees have combined for 57 HR this season.

In MLB history, only two duos have had more HR at the break: Ken Griffey Jr. & Alex Rodriguez for the 1998 Mariners (62) and Roger Maris & Mickey Mantle for the 1961 Yankees (62).

AL All-Star starters Aaron Judge & Juan Soto of the @Yankees have combined for 57 HR this season.

In MLB history, only two duos have had more HR at the break: Ken Griffey Jr. & Alex Rodriguez for the 1998 Mariners (62) and Roger Maris & Mickey Mantle for the 1961 Yankees (62). pic.twitter.com/U4p3qmCcZH

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) July 16, 2024

From an offensive perspective, that 1998 team was incredible for the Mariners. Griffey Jr. finished that year with an American League-best 56 homers, finishing fourth in the MVP voting. He also put up a massive 146 RBI that season. He was an All-Star as well, one of 13 seasons in which he made an All-Star team. He also won the Home Run Derby for the second of his three times, which is a record.

Rodriguez put up a big season that year as well, hitting .310 with 42 homers, 124 RBI and 46 stolen bases. Despite those huge numbers, he finished ninth in the MVP voting. Though that Mariners team had Randy Johnson, Edgar Martinez and Jay Buhner as well, they still only finished 76-85 and finished third in the American League West. Johnson was traded to the Houston Astros in that season. The Mariners didn't make the playoffs again until 2000, after Griffey Jr. had also left via trade.

As for the modern-day Mariners, they'll open up the second half of the season on Friday night against the Houston Astros at 7:10 p.m. PT.

Related Stories on Seattle Mariners

NEW PODCAST EPISODE IS OUT: The third episode of the "Refuse to Lose" podcast is out! In this episode, we look at the Mariners three-game slide into the All-Star break, Scott Servais taking out Logan Gilbert early and we talk with Robbie Faulk of ON3, who covers Mississippi State baseball and M's first-round pick Jurrangelo Cijntje. CLICK HERE:

SIGNING CIJTNJE: The Mariners have come to terms with first-round pick Jurrangelo Cijtnje. Here are the details. CLICK HERE:

MENDING FENCES: Perhaps after 24 years, Alex Rodriguez and the Seattle Mariners finally can mend fences. Rodriguez said he wanted to come back to Seattle to celebrate the Mariners portion of his career. CLICK HERE:

Follow Inside the Mariners on social media

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on "X" @Teren_Kowatsch and @wdevradiobrady. You can subscribe to the "Refuse to Lose" podcast by clicking HERE: