Everyone in the Yankees orbit seems to be tired of waiting for number 61.
Aaron Judge ran to the plate four times in five trips in a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday that took the AL East. He is stuck on 60 home runs, one behind Roger Maris’ franchise and American League mark.
Judge’s mother, Patty, who sat in the front row at the Rogers Center in Toronto – right next to Roger Maris, Jr. – shook her head as she gave her son some encouragement after his fourth night’s walk.
Aaron Judge walked four times on Tuesday and stuck to 60 home runs this season.Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Well done, honey!” she said, clapping. The Judge’s matriarch has little else to do as she has become a fixture in his matches with Maris Jr. On Monday, cameras caught her shaking her head when the Blue Jays intentionally walked her son in a 2-2 game in the 10th inning.
She wasn’t alone in her constant frustration.
Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes made a rally cap in the dugout on Tuesday, only to put his cap back on his head in frustration as Judge trotted to the first.
The national TBS broadcast also saw plenty of Toronto fans cheering.
It’s not that the Blue Jays pitchers avoided throwing to the Yankees slugger – he saw five full counts on the night, bringing his league-leading total to 140 on the season – although he saw most of the pitches break.
To his credit, Judge is seemingly OK with how his hunt for history is going – probably helped by the AL East crown. Tuesday’s passes were already behind him.
“Not if you win,” he said. “I will take four walks every day for a win.”
Judge has eight games left to beat No. 61 and then set another Yankees mark. The Yankees have one more in Toronto on Wednesday before returning home for a three-game set with the Orioles starting Friday, then heading to Arlington to finish the regular season with four against the Texas Rangers.