Judge’s 299th HR provides winning margin for Yanks: ‘Such an incredible hitter’
Bill Ladson
NEW YORK — Outfielder Aaron Judge‘s legacy continues to grow. On Sunday afternoon, Judge hit his 42nd home run of the season off Rangers left-hander Andrew Chafin in the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium, helping New York to an 8-7 win over Texas.
“It was a win. It was another good one. I’m happy to win the series and get back [to] the winning ways,” Judge said.
Judge’s blast came three pitches after Juan Soto hit his second homer of the game and 30th of the season. It gave the Yankees an 8-3 lead at the time, which turned out to be crucial when the Rangers scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth before Clay Holmes finished off a four-out save.
“Every time Judge hits a home run, it’s incredible. It was a tough pitch outside of the strike zone. The ball went out,” Soto said. “He is such an incredible hitter.”
Judge went into the game on pace to hit 56 home runs for the season, which would be six short of the American League record he set in 2022. Judge can become the third player to have multiple 60-plus home run seasons, joining Sammy Sosa (three) and Mark McGwire (two).
Judge has 42 homers through 119 team games this season. He had 46 through that number of games in 2022.
Judge, who played in his 952nd career game, is also one homer shy of 300 for his career. The fewest games needed to reach 300 career home runs in AL/NL history is 1,087, set by Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, who did most of his damage with the Pirates from 1946-53.
“I try to remind myself every now and then that I take him for granted,” manager Aaron Boone said. “His greatness … I’m getting to watch over there every day what he is able to do and be just the player that he has become. It is remarkable.”
For Judge, reaching the milestone will only matter if the Yankees win the game.
“[The numbers] are not what we play for,” Judge said. “I’m just here to help this team win and put them in a good position. Hopefully, it comes with a win. It would be something special.”
Soto has batted in front of Judge for most of the season, and he knows that means he’ll usually get something to hit.
“You have to make sure you are swinging because they are not walking you at all,” Soto said. “It’s always great to hit in front of him. … They are always trying to attack the strike zone like [the Rangers]. They know he is coming behind me, but they want to make sure they get me out before facing him. They leave the lefty [Chafin for Judge]. At the end of the day, we did our job and helped the team win the ballgame.”
