He finally did it.
After seven games and 35 plate appearances of mostly walks, Aaron Judge tied Roger Maris for the American League single-season home run record, a mark that has stood for 61 years.
“It’s an incredible honor. Getting a chance to be associated with one of the Yankee greats, one of baseball’s greats, being enshrined with him forever, words can’t describe it,” Judge said after the game. “That’s one thing that’s so special about the Yankees organization, it’s all the guys that kind of came before us and paved the way, played the game the right way, did things the right way, did a lot of great things in this game, and getting a chance to be mentioned with those guys now, I can’t even describe it. It’s an incredible honor, that’s for sure.”
Just a week ago, Judge was on pace to hit somewhere in the mid-60s, but after hitting home run No. 60, tying him with Babe Ruth, last Tuesday he went a week without hitting another one.
There were a few reasons for that. Opposing pitchers were purposely not attacking him or intentionally walking him, and Judge’s disciplined approach at the plate kept him from chasing bad pitches.
For Judge, getting a win meant more than his personal accomplishments, especially with a division needing to be clinched.
“I try not to change anything. My approach and my game plan is what got me to this point,” he explained. “I never really thought it would be fair to my teammates or the Yankees to try to chase a record. My job is to go out there and be the best hitter I can be, and if that means taking a walk, I gotta take a walk. If that means moving a guy over, driving a guy in, that’s what this game’s about.”
Tuesday, the Yankees clinched the AL East and a first-round bye in this year’s postseason. That seemingly took some of the weight off the slugger, and the team’s shoulders. Heck, manager Aaron Boone had Anthony Rizzo and other players “manage” Wednesday's game with him.
And with the Yankees not playing for anything, Wednesday night felt like the best time for Judge to finally hit No. 61 and get that proverbial monkey off his back. One line drive over the left field wall later and the deed was done.
“Definitely some relief, getting to 61. You try not to think about it, but it creeps into your head,” Judge said. “But getting a chance to do it in a Yankee win and especially in a night when Gerrit Cole ties the [Yankees] all-time single-season strikeout record, that’s a pretty special day right there.”
Even on a night that’s about him, Judge always finds a way to make it about the team and his teammates. That’s just a part of the reason that even Roger Maris Jr., the son of the legendary Yankee, said that people should revere Judge as the “actual” single-season home run champ.
And while that’s a discussion for another time, Yankees fans can feel relieved that No. 61 is out of the way and now the focus can be about breaking the record.
With just six games remaining, Judge’s next shot at history will come Friday against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium.