New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit home run number 61 last week against the Toronto Blue Jays.
That long ball allowed him to become, together with Roger Maris, the owner of the Yankees and the American League record for most home runs in a season.
Next on Judge’s list: taking sole possession of the record.
He tried to do that last weekend in the Bronx, in front of his fans, against the Baltimore Orioles.
Pitchers are, understandably, being more careful while pitching to Judge, and haven’t been throwing too many strikes against him recently.
That didn’t prevent him from striking out three times on Sunday against the O’s.
Now, if Judge will establish a new home run mark, it won’t happen at home.
“Ballgame. Orioles over the Yankees, 3-1. #AaronJudge finishes 0-for-3 with a walk. If he hits No. 62, it will happen in Texas,” Yankees insider Bryan Hoch tweeted.
Ballgame. Orioles over the Yankees, 3-1. #AaronJudge finishes 0-for-3 with a walk. If he hits No. 62, it will happen in Texas.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) October 2, 2022
Judge Will Have To Come Through In Texas
The Yankees don’t have any more games at Yankee Stadium until the Division Series in the postseason, and those don’t count for the record.
Now, if he wants to leave Maris behind, he will have to do it against the Texas Rangers.
They will play a three-game set against the Rangers starting on Monday.
The world is eager to see Judge making history, but even with what he has done to this point, his season should be considered “historic.”
Nobody had hit at least 60 homers since the steroids era, and that’s a huge achievement.
He is also trying to win the American League’s hitting Triple Crown, but has fallen a bit behind Luis Arraez in batting average, .311 to .315.
Judge leads the other two Triple Crown categories comfortably: home runs (61) and RBI (130).
What a year for the Yanks’ star.
NEXT: Chart Shows How Far Aaron Judge Is Ahead Of His Peers