New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge delivered an impressive performance on Sunday, hitting two home runs in a decisive win against the Oakland Athletics. This accomplishment brought his season total to 30 home runs, further enhancing his already remarkable standing in baseball history.
With this latest achievement, Judge has now reached the milestone of hitting 30 or more home runs before the All-Star Game on four separate occasions. He has also surpassed Yankees legend Lou Gehrig for the most multi-homer games in the team’s history, with his current tally of 44 multi-homer games placing him just two games shy of Mickey Mantle and a remarkable 24 games behind the iconic Babe Ruth.
Judge’s consistency is reflected in his record of five consecutive seasons with at least 30 home runs, which ties him for the third-longest streak in Yankees history since 1950. The only players with longer streaks are Mantle, who achieved this feat for eight consecutive years, and Alex Rodriguez, who did so for seven. Notably, he is also among the only players to have recorded 30-plus home runs before the All-Star break four times, sharing this rarity with Mark McGwire.
The accolades don’t stop there; Judge is now the third player in MLB history to have multiple seasons with at least 50 extra-base hits before July, joining the ranks of Ken Griffey Jr. and David Ortiz.
As he continues to shine, Judge, who was recently named an All-Star starter, entered Sunday with impressive stats including a .354 batting average, .456 on-base percentage, and a .705 slugging percentage. His contributions to the team are currently valued at an estimated 5.7 Wins Above Replacement, indicating his significant impact on the field. With plenty of season left to play, there are strong possibilities for Judge to take home his third Most Valuable Player award in just four years.
Following their successful game, the Yankees are set to hit the road, heading to Toronto for a four-game series against the Blue Jays before returning to New York for an exciting three-game matchup against the Mets at Citi Field.
This season has the potential for Judge to etch his name even deeper into baseball lore, and Yankees fans have much to look forward to as he continues his quest for greatness.