Can Aaron Judge break his own American League home run record?
Judge hit 62 to beat Roger Maris 2 years ago
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Just two years after breaking a record that stood for 61 years, Aaron Judge is threatening his own history.
The New York Yankees superstar belted his 46th and 47th home runs of the season on Wednesday night, and with 35 games left, we are officially on 63 watch.
Judge surpassed a former Yankee in Roger Maris in 2022, when he blasted 62 home runs, a new American League single season record.
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Aaron Judge, #99 of the New York Yankees, hits his second home run of the game in the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 21, 2024 in New York City. (Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
It propelled him to his first MVP Award, but this year, he is putting up even better numbers and is all but a lock to win the award again.
In 2022, Judge hit .311 with a .425 on-base and .686 slugging percentage, and fans thought that was one of the best offensive seasons ever. This season, he is slashing .334/.465/.722.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Judge is officially "on pace" to come up just short and hit 60 on the season. However, it needs to be noted that that "pace" includes Judge's tremendous slump from the beginning of the season, in which he hit just six home runs in his first 35 games.
However, since May 5, he has played 90 games and has put 41 baseballs into the seats. For what it is worth, that is a full-season pace of 73.8 home runs, which matches Barry Bonds' all-time record set in 2001, which remains a controversial statistic.
New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge, #99, celebrates after his solo home run during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. (Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In order to get to 63 homers and break his own record, Judge needs 16 home runs in his final 35 games. Since May 5, he is hitting 15.9 home runs per 35 games. So, maybe he still comes up short, but that side of the argument puts him at 62 again.
At the very least, Judge is going to become the fifth player in MLB history to have three 50+ home run seasons, joining Babe Ruth, who played when the sport was segregated, and three players who took performance-enhancing drugs, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Alex Rodriguez.
He also could very well join Sosa and McGwire as the only players with multiple 60-homer campaigns.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, #99, celebrates in the dugout after he hits his 300th home run during the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. (Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports)
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However, if Judge continues at this torrid pace, fans may all be glued to the television once again.
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