New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his majors-leading 54th home run of the season on Monday against the Minnesota Twins, pulling him to within seven home runs of matching Roger Maris’ franchise and American League single-season record of 61, established back during the 1961 season. Judge reached a new personal best on Sunday after he launched No. 53 in a victory against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Judge’s Monday home run, a two-run shot and his third in as many games, came in the bottom of the sixth inning against right-handed reliever Trevor Megill. The home run broke up what had been a 2-2 tie between the teams. Here’s a look at the blast in all its moving picture glory:
According to Statcast, Judge’s home run left his bat with a 109.6-mph exit velocity and carried 404 feet.
The Yankees will have 27 games remaining on their schedule after Monday. If Judge continues to hit home runs at his current pace — a home run every 2.5 team games — he would finish the season with 65 on the year. That would, of course, shatter Maris’ records for the franchise and the AL alike. It would also tie Judge for the fourth-most in a single-season all-time, and it would leave him trailing only seasons from Barry Bonds (73 in 2001), Mark McGwire (70 in in 1998), and Sammy Sosa (66 in 1998).
It’s worth remembering that Judge is an impending free agent. He rejected the Yankees’ seven-year extension offer in spring training that would have paid him $213.5 million. CBS Sports recently projected him to serve as the top free agent in the upcoming class, noting that only one other player (Paul Goldschmidt) had accumulated more Wins Above Replacement during the Pandemic Era.
