New York Yankees gardener Aaron Judge is five home runs away from breaking the MLB AL record 61 in a season, set in 1961 by Yankees outfielder Roger Maris.
On Tuesday, Judge hit his 56th and 57th home runs of the season for the AL-East-leading Yankees, meaning he needs just four to tie and five to surpass Maris’ 61-year mark.
The achievement would certainly help Judge’s AL MVP case and his bid for a new contract. The four-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger will become a free agent after the 2022 season.
Judge has also surpassed his previous career high of 52 homers, which he hit in 2017 en route to being crowned AL Rookie of the Year.
Here’s Judge’s latest.
Most recent home run: Judge hit his 56th and 57th homers on Tuesday against the Boston Red Sox. He’s slashing .310/.414/.692 with 123 RBI.
Current pace: 65 (would be tied for 4th in MLB history)
Remaining Games: 20
Next game: The Yankees conclude a two-game series against the Red Sox on Wednesday.
Taken from FOX Sports: “Judge hit his 55th home run of the year [last] Wednesday afternoon, a solo shot against Twins rookie Louie Varland, who was making his MLB debut. That long ball put Judge on pace for 66 bombs in the season finale, meaning he would break Roger Maris’ AL record with five home runs. At this point, there’s no reason to think Judge won’t reach that mark, considering he has 26 games to go for seven more blasts.” Jake Mintz
Contract status: Judge and the Yankees were unsuccessful in negotiating a long-term contract before the start of the 2022 season. The All-Star reportedly turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension dollars in spring training, and the two sides avoided arbitration in June with a $19 million deal through 2022.
Get more from Major League Baseball Follow your favorites for information on games, news and more.
