Aaron Judge reaches 41-homer mark, joins elite hitters

Judge at bat in 2017 – CC BY-SA

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 40th home run in Friday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. It was a two-run shot that covered more than 400 feet. Then, in the eighth, he hit a grand slam.

During a break in the game, Judge was asked in the middle of the clubhouse if he preferred to make a grand slam or a leap over the wall. He had done both in the same night.

Throughout the season, Judge has been a dominant player on both sides of the ball. He helped the struggling Gerrit Cole by hitting a home run in the first inning. He then joined a select group of players in Major League history by hitting 40th home runs and 41st home runs in the same season.

When asked about his season goals, Judge said he was still focused on hitting home runs and helping his team win. He said that being able to help out a pitcher by robbing a home run was “cool.”

“Ooh, they’re close,” said Judge.

“Robbing [a home run], you’ve got the crowd excitement, helping out a pitcher who’s working his butt off. It’s pretty cool. Then, you’ve got the same thing when you hit one, helping your team add some runs to the board. Hitting a homer is still above robbing one for me right now.”

New York Yankees

2022-07-30 00:03

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Joining home run elites

Among the players who have already hit at least 40 home runs by the end of July, Judge is one of only eight individuals to do so in the history of both the National and American Leagues.

Judge’s impressive achievement has been compared to nothing that’s happened in the history of baseball. The New York Yankees’ manager, Aaron Boone, said that the star was not alone in his struggles with the thought of 40 home runs by the end of July.

Although Judge would prefer not to talk about his record-breaking achievement, Roger Maris’ 61 single-season home run record remains a great number to overcome. If he keeps up his performance by the end of the season, Judge is predicted to be on track to hit 66 home runs.

“Like I’ve said a thousand times, I’m focused on winning baseball games right now,” Judge remarked. “The stats and stuff like that, we can talk about that at the end of the year.”

In the game, Judge had a six-RBI performance. His two-run home run in the third inning gave the Yankees a lead, and his grand slam in the eighth inning gave New York an eight-run advantage. He has now hit 11 home runs in 13 games.

Judge has nine multi-homer games this season, which is the most by a single player in a single season for the New York Yankees. He is also the first player in the history of the American League and the National League to have that many games with multiple home runs before the end of July.

Boone said nobody is better equipped to handle the pressure of breaking a record than Judge. The manager wants the star to continue playing well and leading the team.