Aaron Judge achieved another milestone, albeit it may not be widely acknowledged. Rather than focusing on his personal accomplishments, Judge chose to highlight another crucial victory for the New York Yankees.
Judge set a new team record on Saturday with his 34th home run before the All-Star break. This breaks Roger Maris’ old mark of 33 home runs before the break in 1961, a season in which Maris memorably broke the MLB record with 61 home runs.
In 2022, Judge hit 33 home runs before the All-Star break and finished the season with 62, breaking Maris’ American League record.
Judge’s home run on Saturday helped the Yankees defeat Baltimore 6-1, putting them within striking distance of the Orioles atop the AL East rankings. Reflecting on his accomplishment, Judge was asked how he would have responded in spring training if told he would hit 34 home runs by the break.
“Hopefully those 34 homers led to a lot of wins,” Judge said. “That’s what matters most.”
The Yankees (58-39) have won the opening two games of their series against the Orioles at Camden Yards. This snapped Baltimore’s 22-game unbeaten record against AL East opponents. The Orioles (57-38) will look to avoid a series sweep on Sunday, with the winner retaining the division lead heading into the All-Star break.
RIn Saturday’s game, Judge and Juan Soto hit consecutive home runs in the fifth inning. Soto’s home run put the Yankees up 5-1, followed by Judge’s majestic solo blast that traveled 431 feet.
Judge had a strong showing in Friday night’s series opener, reaching base in all five plate appearances. Despite a rough start to the season, when his batting average fell below.200 in early May, Judge remained focused on contributing to the team’s success.
Things like that happen. “You can’t worry about that, or about being booed,” Judge remarked. “What was most important to me was that we won games. I’ve got hundreds of at-bats to figure it out. We’re in a wonderful situation going into the All-Star break.”
