Yankees Superstar Aaron Judge Hits Historic 60th Home Run; One Away From All-Time AL Record
Home-run star Aaron Judge is one score away from history … even if he's already marked his place in the Yankees' pantheon.
Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, and a chance to become the sixth-ever MLB slugger to tally 60 home runs in a single season, Judge picked the most climatic moment of the evening to reach the coveted mark.
WHAT WOULD YOU TRADE AARON JUDGE’S 62ND HOME RUN BALL FOR?
In the bottom of the ninth inning, with the Yanks down 4-8, Judge knocked his 60th homer deep left off a slider off Pirates reliever Wil Crowe — dropping the deficit to three runs.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Not only did Judge elevate his star status in a storied season bogged by contract talks, which is sure to make his demands a no-brainer, but it also inspired the Yankees to go on a five-run spree to edge the Pirates, 9-8, for the win.
Giancarlo Stanton helped ease Judge's yoke for the evening with a walk-off grand slam to complete the Yankees' comeback in the ninth.
Despite his pursuit of a contract worthy of his generational feats, Judge has kept his mind on the Yankees' success first, and the sentiment showed in his postgame interview.
“Damn, I wish I would’ve done that with bases loaded a little earlier in the game,” Judge said on the 60th HR.
“So I was kind of kicking myself while I was running around the bases like, man you idiot, you should’ve done this a little earlier. But the team picked up and we were able to pull that win out,” he added.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Judge leads the AL this season in home runs (60), RBIs (128) and batting average (.316).
The score tied Judge with Babe Ruth's 60 home runs from 1927, which counts for the franchise's second-highest total behind Roger Maris' 61 HRs, which is concurrently the highest total in American League history.
If the Yankees don't give this guy carte blanche, there's sure to be plenty of suitors in baseball waiting for Judge with a pen and check ready.
He bet on himself, and the payoff is looking promising.
The ultimate question remains: how many home runs will Judge record by season's end?
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)