New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge‘s magical season continues.
Amid the team’s recent struggles to produce runs, Judge has been the one consistent source of offense for a team in need.
On Monday, the slugger hit his 54th home run of the season.
The second-place player in the category, Kyle Schwarber, has 36!
Simply put, Judge has been MLB’s best hitter this season by a mile.
His homer, as usual, was awfully important: it came in the sixth inning of a tied game, and it gave the Yankees a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
As he continues his march towards 62 home runs (or more), Judge received endorsement from a fellow Yankees legend: Alex Rodriguez.
“Congrats to @TheJudge44 on tying my @Yankees record for homers by a right-handed batter in a single season. Keep going my man!” A-Rod tweeted.
Congrats to @TheJudge44 on tying my @Yankees record for homers by a right-handed batter in a single season. Keep going my man! https://t.co/Hge6oE3rXY
— Alex Rodriguez (@AROD) September 5, 2022
A-Rod Knew A Thing Or Two About Home Runs
A-Rod’s time with the Yanks was full of highs and lows, but there is no denying that there was lots of power in the right-hander’s bat.
He hit 54 home runs for the Bombers back in 2007, and fueled their 2009 title run with some excellent play in the postseason.
Judge had already come close to those 54 when he was a rookie in 2017, hitting 52, but he has eclipsed that mark already and he has a little less than a month to play.
Establishing the Yankees’ franchise record for single-season home runs is well within his reach.
Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961, and Judge is currently on pace to top that.
In the view of many fans, hitting at least 62 would make Judge the new home run king because Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa all hit well over 61 in the steroids era.
In any case, it should be an exciting September for Judge.
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