On Wednesday night, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge had a date with history.
He became the fourth player ever to hit 61 home runs in the same season.
In the process, he tied Roger Maris‘ tally from 1961.
Now, both players share the Yankees (and the American League) record for most dingers over a single season.
The homer also helped the Yankees get a definitive advantage over the Toronto Blue Jays.
When he went yard with a man on base, that helped the Yanks break a 3-3 tie and get a 5-3 advantage.
Most home runs in victories in a season, MLB history:
51 – Babe Ruth (1927)
49 – Aaron Judge (2022)— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 29, 2022
“Aaron Judge of the @Yankees is the only player to have his 61st homer of a season be a game-tying or go-ahead shot in the 7th inning or later,” OptaStats tweeted.
Judge’s Homers Are Also Timely
Judge’s homers are not only spectacular, long, and majestic (this one left the bat at 117 mph, and people still tried to catch it barehanded!), but they also timely.
“Most home runs in victories in a season, MLB history: 51 – Babe Ruth (1927), 49 – Aaron Judge (2022),” they also tweeted.
The season is still not over: Judge can still pass the Babe in home runs hit in Yankees’ victories.
In fact, Judge has every motivation to keep going full throttle: his next homer will help him pass Maris and become the sole record-holder in Yankees history.
The outfielder is having a dream season: he is actually competing for the hitting Triple Crown, which means he could finish the year with an MVP award, a World Series title, an All-Star berth, and the Yankees’ record for most homers in a season.
That has to be a first.
He is going to be a very rich man in a matter of weeks, as he enters free agency.
NEXT: Aaron Judge Already Declared His True Home Run King
