September 20, 2022, will be a day Aaron Judge will never forget. The New York Yankees star hit his 60th home run of the season, tying him with Babe Ruth for the second most homers in one season in Yankees and American League history. He is now one shy of former Yankees star Roger Maris’ record of 61. Judge is one of six players in MLB history to hit at least 60 home runs in a season. The other three along with Judge, Ruth and Maris are Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Bonds has the single-season MLB record with 73 which was set in 2001.
The home run came in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. According to Statcast (per CBS Sports), Judge’s homer traveled 430 feet and had an exit velocity of 111.6 mph. After the game, Judge told reporters that helping this team win is what’s important to him right now.
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“I haven’t really been thinking about numbers or stats and stuff like that,” Judge said, per MLB.com. “I’m going out there trying to help my team win. At the time, it was a solo shot in the ninth, still down by a couple of runs. But this team, we’ve always had a never-say-die attitude. We fight until the end.” Ruth hit 60 home runs in 1927, and Maris hit 61 in 1961. Judge knows how special his 60th home run is and is not taking it for granted.
“When you talk about Ruth and Maris and Mantle and all these Yankees greats, you never imagine as a kid getting mentioned with them,” Judge said. “It’s an incredible honor and something I don’t take lightly at all. We’re not done.”
Along with making MLB home run history, Judge is looking to do something that hasn’t been done in 10 years. The 30-year-old leads the American League in home runs (60), RBIs (128) and batting average (.316) giving him a chance to be the first triple crown winner since Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers in 2012. The last New York Yankees player to reach the triple crown was Mickey Mantle, who did it in 1956. Judge will likely be named AL MVP when the season comes to an end.
