SPORTS TODAY
Yankees star Aaron Judge hit his 50th and 51st home runs of the season on Wednesday night in an 8-1 win against the Chicago White Sox (box score), helping New York tie the Toronto Blue Jays atop the American League East and making history in the process. Here’s a look at the home runs in question:
Judge now has four career 50-plus homer seasons, tying him with Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Babe Ruth for the most in Major League Baseball history. Judge is the only member of that bunch to record all four seasons over the span of his first 10 years in the majors.
Additionally, Judge is the first Yankees player with back-to-back 50-plus-homer seasons since Ruth did it in 1927-28.
Judge had previously launched 52 home runs in 2017, 62 in 2022, and 58 last year. His 2022 showing, of course, established a new single-season high for both the Yankees franchise and the American League as a whole. Each of those marks had previously belonged to Roger Maris, who homered 61 times back in 1961.
Judge, 33, entered Wednesday’s game hitting .325/.452/.669 (209 OPS+) with 49 home runs, 105 runs batted in, and 12 stolen bases. His contributions had been worth an estimated 8.9 Wins Above Replacement, according to the calculations housed at Baseball Reference. Judge is, predictably, considered to be one of the two main candidates to win the American League Most Valuable Player Award, with Seattle Mariners backstop Cal Raleigh serving as the alternative.
The Yankees clinched a postseason berth with Monday’s come-from-behind win against the White Sox. New York still has something to play for the rest of the way, however, including a potential AL East title and the top seed on the Junior Circuit’s side of the bracket. The Yankees are tied with the Blue Jays in both races.
