Outfielder Aaron Judge continues to expand his legacy. On Sunday afternoon, he hit his 42nd home run of the season off Rangers left-hander Andrew Chafin. That was in the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, helping New York to an 8-7 victory over Texas.
“It was a win. It was another good one. I’m happy to win the series and get back [to] the winning ways,” Judge said.
Judge’s shot was three pitches after Juan Soto hit his second home run of the game and 30th of the season. It gave the Yankees an 8-3 lead at the time, which turned out to be essential. Similarly, the Rangers scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth before Clay Holmes cleared a four-out save.
“Every time Judge hits a home run, it’s incredible. It was a tough pitch outside of the strike zone. The ball went out,” Soto said. “He is such an incredible hitter.”
Judge entered the game on track to his 56 homers for the campaign, which would be six short of the American League record he set in 2022. He could become the third player to have multiple 60-plus home run seasons, joining Sammy Sosa (three) and Mark McGwire (two).
Judge has 42 homers through 119 team games this season. He had 46 through that number of games in 2022. He played his 952nd career game, and is one home away from 300 for his career.
The lowest matches needed to attain 300 career home runs in AL/NL history is 1,087, set by Hall of Fame Ralph Kiner, who did most of his damage with the Pirates from 1946-53.
“I try to remind myself every now and then that I take him for granted,” manager Aaron Boone said. “His greatness … I’m getting to watch over there every day what he is able to do and be just the player that he has become. It is remarkable.”
For Judge, hitting this milestone will only be relevant if the Yankees win the match.
“[The numbers] are not what we play for,” Judge said. “I’m just here to help this team win and put them in a good position. Hopefully, it comes with a win. It would be something special.”
Soto has batted in front of Judge for a greater part of the campaign, and he knows that means he will often get something to hit.
“You have to make sure you are swinging because they are not walking you at all,” Soto said. “It’s always great to hit in front of him. … They are always trying to attack the strike zone like [the Rangers]. They know he is coming behind me, but they want to make sure they get me out before facing him. They leave the lefty [Chafin for Judge]. At the end of the day, we did our job and helped the team win the ballgame.”
