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No one had hit 60 home runs in a season in 21 years until Aaron Judge did so on Tuesday night.
Judge’s blast made him the sixth person in MLB history to hit 60 in a season, and it’s only the ninth time ever. He joined Roger Maris and Babe Ruth as the only Yankees to accomplish this feat.
Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire were the last three players to make this feat, but all three have been linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, so many will say Judge is the first person to do it properly since Maris did this did in 1961.
Maris hit 61 that year — Judge’s next two home runs will tie and break that American League record.
AARON JUDGE HITS 60TH HOME RUN OF THE SEASON, PUT HIM INTO THE ELITE MLB CLUB
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits his 60th home run of the season in the 9th inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium on September 20, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
But for now, he has 60, and as humble as he is, he’s absorbing this moment.
“I don’t think about the numbers. When you talk about Ruth and Maris and… [Mickey] Mantle and all these Yankees greats who have done so many amazing things in this game, you can’t imagine being mentioned with them as a kid,” Judge said after the game. “It’s an incredible honor and something I don’t like at all. taken lightly. “
Judge’s homerun came when the Yankees stranded four runs in the bottom of the ninth. At the time it seemed a bit pointless. Little knew, however, that this was the catalyst for the Yankees’ best comeback win of the season—they scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth and won on a walk-off grand slam from Giancarlo Stanton to defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 9-8 .
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Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees around the bases after hitting his 60th home run of the season in the 9th inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Yankee Stadium on September 20, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Judge took an awkward, unwilling curtain call when hitting 60 (ironically, Maris did too when he broke the record), but now that it’s coming into a win, he can celebrate a little more.
“This is what I wanted to do,” he said. “I didn’t really think about numbers or stats and stuff like that. I just tried to go out and help my team win. At the time it was a solo shot in the ninth and still trailing a few runs, but this team, we’ve always had a never-die attitude, fighting to the end, and you’ve got four guys right behind me with great at bats, one after the other against a great closer, that makes it so much sweeter. .”
In the sixth inning, Judge struckout the bases for a shot at 60 to lock the game. His first thought when he hit 60 was that he wished it came in that at bat instead.
“(My response was) like, ‘Damn, I wish I’d done that with the bases loaded a little earlier in the game.’ I was a little mad at myself,” he joked.
The 30-year-old not only leads baseball in home runs, but he also leads the majors in RBI (128), on-base percentage (.419), slugging percentage (.703), total bases (372) and runs scored (123 ). His .316 batting average is also the best figure in the American League and currently earns him the Triple Crown. He also leads the AL with 93 walks.
Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees shakes hands with first base coach Travis Chapman #75 as he rounds bases after hitting his 60th home run of the season in the 9th inning of the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Yankee Stadium on September 20, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Judge got the ball back from the fan who caught it, who was having a meet-and-greet with Judge with three friends. The fan who caught it got an autographed bat, while his friends each got an autographed ball.
But maybe they got the short end of the stick. Some auctioneers thought the ball could go for six figures, while breaking 62 records.
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Now Judge will look to bind, break and crush Maris as the Yankees get closer to an AL East division title.