New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has reached the 50-home run mark this season, becoming the first player in MLB to do so and putting him on pace to break his own American League record.
The Bronx Bombers are at it again. Aaron Judge has hit his 50th home run for the New York Yankees this season, continuing his pursuit of the American League home run record.
Judge broke the Yankees legend Roger Maris' single-season home run record when he blasted 62 in 2022. Now, Judge, who won AL MVP that season, is officially in position to rewrite the record books once again.
Aaron Judge Blasts 50th Home Run, Chasing Record Books
He has become the first player in MLB to reach 50 home runs this season, and with 31 games left to play after Sunday, he is on track to finish with 62.
The next closest player to Judge is NL MVP frontrunner Shohei Ohtani, who has 41 home runs.
Aaron Judge Blasts 50th Home Run, Chasing Record Books
Judge hit his latest home run in the bottom of the first inning against the Colorado Rockies' left-handed starter, Austin Gomber, who has allowed the most home runs per nine innings among qualified starters in MLB.
Gomber threw Judge an 0-2 changeup that was low in the strike zone, but it was just high enough for the right-handed slugger to launch it towards left-center field, putting his team up 2-1.
Aaron Judge Blasts 50th Home Run, Chasing Record Books
This home run came after Judge broke his 11-game hitting streak in Saturday's loss to the Rockies.
While Judge chases his own home run record, he has become the first player in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs in three of his first nine seasons.
Additionally, with this home run coming in the first inning, Judge has tied former Yankee Alex Rodriguez for the most home runs in a single season with 18.
Judge's remarkable season has drawn comparisons to the great Barry Bonds, as teams have started to intentionally walk him to avoid facing him in high-leverage situations.
Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz recently praised Judge, calling him "a beast" with "all the tools" and "at another level body-wise."
Whether Judge can break or even challenge his record remains to be seen, but with a month left in the regular season and his torrid pace showing no signs of slowing down, fans are eagerly anticipating the possibility.
