Despite a season interrupted by a flexor injury that kept him out for 10 days and continues to hamper his throwing from the outfield, the New York Yankees’ two-time American League MVP Aaron Judge continues to rack up a genuinely historic season.
On Tuesday, he only added to his growing legend by passing another legendary Yankee in one of the most high-profile statistical categories â and he didn’t wait long to do it. Judge left his fellow Yankee great behind with one swing in the first inning of a game at Yankee Stadium against the AL Central-leading Detroit Tigers.
At age 33, in his 10th big league season, the Yankees 2013 first-round draft pick currently ranks third on the all-time Yankees leaderboard in career OPS, at 1.022, well head of fourth-place Mickey Mantle at .978. Mantle trails only the two greatest Yankees hitters in the team’s 123-year history â Babe Ruth, who ranks first at 1.195, and Lou Gehrig at 1.079.
Judge Nearing End of Historic Season
This season, ahead of Tuesday’s game, Judge led the AL in OPS (1.099), batting average (.321), Wins Above Replacement aka WAR (7.5), walks (104) and intentional walks (30).
But Judge is second in home runs in the AL behind Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh who has belted 53 to Judge’s 43.
Make that 44 â because Judge blasted a first-inning home run Tuesday that established yet another place for himself in Yankees history.
Judge Moves Ahead of Legendary Yankees Catcher
With that opposite field blast over Yankee Stadium’s short porch in right field, 314 feet from home plate, Judge moved into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time Yankees home run list. The shot was the 359th of Judge’s career.
With the homer, Judge moved ahead of legendary Yankees catcher Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra, who played 19 seasons for the Bronx Bombers from 1946 through 1963. In his Hall of Fame career, Berra won three AL MVP awards, also a Yankee record tied with his teammates (until 1951) Joe Dimaggio and (starting in 1951) Mickey Mantle.
But Judge can put himself in that category this season as well. He already has two MVP plaques on his mantelpiece, from 2022 and 2024. Based on his numbers so far this season, despite his injury, Judge appears well on his way to a third MVP season.
Compared to Berra, however, Judge has been the far more prolific home run hitter. It took Berra his entire 19-year career with his 7,546 at-bats to reach his total of 358. Judge on Tuesday reached 359 home runs in his 4,046th career at-bat.
Judge Should Pass Joltin’ Joe This Season, Too
In fact, Judge now ranks second on the Yankees’ all-time list in home run rate. The Linden, California, native has gone deep once in every 11.27 at bats. Only Ruth, as a Yankee, hit homers more frequently, with one every 10.95 at-bats.
Four more Yankees legends stand in Judge’s way atop the franchise home run leader board, but Judge is likely to catch only one. That would be “Joltin’ Joe” Dimaggio who now occupies fourth place with 361 homers â meaning that barring another serous injury, Judge should pass him and move into fourth by himself sometime in the next week or two, and certainly by the end of the season.
The next three are a different story. Gehrig in third place hit 493 home runs. Mantle sits in second with 526 â and the all-time Yankees home run leader is Ruth, who blasted 659 home runs in a Yankee uniform. Ruth also hit 49 in his six seasons with the Boston Red Sox, and another six in his final season, 1935, when he spent the year with the Boston Braves.
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