2024-08-27 02:50:01
NEW YORK — Aaron Judge had to be nudged out of the dugout to accept a curtain call from the Yankee Stadium faithful, and it was one that was well-deserved. The Yankees captain’s climb toward history reached another significant checkpoint on Sunday, as he hit his 50th and 51st home runs in New York’s 10-3 win over the Rockies.
Judge reached the 50-homer plateau for the third time in his career and the second time in three seasons with a first-inning two-run blast off Austin Gomber.
The Yanks hit three consecutive homers in the seventh off Jeff Criswell, with Juan Soto, Judge and Giancarlo Stanton going back-to-back-to-back. As Judge rounded the bases, chants of “M-V-P!” were shouted throughout the big ballpark in the Bronx.
“I got to this point trying to be a good hitter and a good teammate, so that’s what I’m going to try to do,” Judge said. “I feel like if I can do that, we can look up at the end of the year, and I think the numbers will be where they’re supposed to be.”
Judge is the fifth player in MLB history with three-plus seasons of 50 or more home runs, along with Babe Ruth (four times), Mark McGwire (four), Sammy Sosa (four) and Alex Rodriguez (three). Judge is the first to do it in three of his first nine Major League seasons.
As Judge continues to challenge his own American League record of 62 home runs, having eclipsed Roger Maris’ previous mark of 61 homers in 2022, the 32-year-old has earned recognition as one of the Majors’ most imposing and consistent hitters. Soto suggested that a run at Barry Bonds’ single-season record of 73 homers shouldn’t be out of the question.
“If there’s any guy in the league that can do it, I think it’s going to be him,” Soto said.
McGwire, by the way, has also said that Judge has the potential to break Bonds’ record. For now, Judge would prefer to focus on what he said is the Yankees’ “big mission” ahead.
A World Series championship is the most important box for Judge to check, and his performance could help them get there. In a season that has already seen Judge become the fastest player to 300 career home runs in terms of at-bats and games played, his teammates have been effusive in their praise.
“It’s unreal,” said Stanton. “He does something special every day. You almost take for granted how good he’s been, and what a staple he’s been for our offense and our team in general.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that as the club travels around the league, he is frequently asked by opposing players and coaches about what it’s like to watch Judge on a daily basis.
“Honestly, I’m just running out of words, what he’s doing,” Boone said. “We’re getting on the train [to Washington]. I’ve got to get the thesaurus out and get to work, because it is amazing.”
When Judge exited Baltimore’s Camden Yards on May 2, a hitless afternoon dropping his batting average to .197, he expressed confidence that better days were soon to come: “I’ll make a couple of adjustments, and I’ll be right there.”
Has he ever. Judge caught fire that month, batting .361 with a 1.397 OPS and 14 homers in May, then continued to improve in June, when he hit .409 with a 1.378 OPS and 11 homers.
“That tells you, it’s not about how you start, it’s how you finish,” Soto said. “Everybody was worrying about him at the beginning. I didn’t worry about him one bit. We know how great he is. It’s crazy to see a guy hit a homer day after day. I think I’ve never seen someone hit so many homers so consistently.”
Judge’s production cooled ever so slightly in July, when he hit .318 with a 1.106 OPS and eight homers — arguably a light month only for him — but he has taken his performance to another level in August.
As Stanton remarked, “He’s playing a video game,” later adding, “That’s what the best in the world does, make it look easy. We’re all feeding off that, and he amazes us every night. I’m glad he’s on our side.”
“His season could end right now and it could be a really good, special year for him,” said Yanks pitcher Nestor Cortes.
Fortunately for Judge and the Yankees, there will be more to come. There have been just 11 seasons of 50 or more homers in franchise history, three of which now belong to Judge (2017, ’22, ’24).
Ruth had four of those campaigns, highlighted by his 60-homer performance in 1927, which stood as a Major League record until Maris hit 61 homers in 1961. Mickey Mantle hit 54 homers in 1961 and 52 in ’56, and Rodriguez hit 54 homers in 2007.
Though Judge stresses remaining grounded, with part of his success owing to a philosophy of remaining unsatisfied until he has registered a 1.000 batting average, his teammates are certainly appreciative of the history unfolding nightly before them.
“I’m just trying to be present and take it all in, to be honest with you,” said pitcher Marcus Stroman. “It’s something you may never see again.”
