Aaron Judge is once again in the Yankees record books thanks to his long ball prowess – and the man he usurped in that book is loving it.
Judge hit his 54th home run of the season on Monday, a no-doubt second-decker against Minnesota, putting him in a tie with Alex Rodriguez for the most homers by a right-handed hitting Yankee in franchise history,
And soon after it happened, A-Rod, who set that record in 2007, took to Twitter to send Judge some love:
Judge already held the Yankees rookie record for homers with 52 in 2017, and last month he became just the third Yankee (behind Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle) to have multiple 50-homer seasons in pinstripes.
“It just gets more and more amazing what he’s doing, it really does,” manager Aaron Boone said after Monday’s win. “He doesn’t get pitched to much, but is ready when it gets in there, and it’s getting hard to put into words what he’s doing. On a 3-1 where they’re probably kind of pitching around them, he takes advantage of a hanger. Just a special season he’s in the midst of.”
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“I just have to stay locked in, that’s all it comes down to. From first pitch to last pitch, even if it’s an eight or 10 pitch at-bat. That’s what I love to do and that’s what makes it fun,” Judge added of that notion.
Number 54 ties him with A-Rod and Babe Ruth (1920 and 1928) for fourth-most homers by a Yankee in a single season, and the next one will put him only behind Roger Maris’ 61 in ’61, the Babe’s 60 in 1927, and Ruth’s 59 in 1921 on the all-time single-season franchise list.
Seven to go to tie Roger with 27 games to go, and while Boone believes Judge is focused only on helping the team win and won’t talk about the record too much, he himself can’t deny he’s watching.
“I’m paying close attention to it…how can you not? Today’s 54 and I’m aware of that, but he’s just so equipped for it that I just kind of enjoy watching what a great player he is,” Boone said. “I’m aware of the history, but for us, it’s about the context of the game and just trying to win.”
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What would it mean to Boone if Judge does get the record?
“It would be pretty amazing. When you put it in the context of where the league is at – Yordan (Alvarez) is at what, 31 homers? – that’s amazing.”
“It’s always great hearing that from your skipper; I’m always trying to impress him,” Judge smiled when told of Boone’s comments.
Indeed, Alvarez’s 31 homers were second in the AL entering Monday, with Anthony Rizzo next at 30, and even the NL leader, Philly’s Kyle Schwarber, was 18 behind on Labor Day.
And indeed, when asked about the records in sight, Judge proved his skipper right.
“I got nothing for you, just trying to do whatever it takes to help our team get a win every single day,” Judge said. “All the individual awards, accolades and stats – it’s all based on how well you help the team out.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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