Aaron Judge is on track to make history with another 60-home run season.
In the Yankees’ 8-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday, Judge hit two home runs, bringing his total to an MLB-leading 47 for the season. With 35 games left in the regular season and having missed only two games so far in 2024, he is projected to finish with exactly 60 homers if he maintains his current pace. His first and only other 60-homer season was in 2022 when he set the American League record with 62 home runs.
There have been nine instances of players hitting at least 60 home runs in a single MLB season. Barry Bonds holds the record with 73 homers in 2001. If Judge reaches this milestone again, he’ll join Mark McGwire (1998, 1999) and Sammy Sosa (1998, 1999, and 2001) as one of the few players to achieve multiple such seasons. Babe Ruth came close but fell short by one homer in his second-best year.
Judge’s Stellar Season:
This year has been exceptional for Judge. The outfielder boasts a .334 batting average, a .465 on-base percentage, and a .722 slugging percentage (226 OPS+), along with leading stats like extra-base hits (78), total bases (322), and walks (103). His WAR of 8.9 is also unmatched. He’s currently favored to win his second American League MVP award but faces competition from Bobby Witt Jr.
Fans might think it’s incredible how consistently powerful Judge has been this season.
Judge’s success can be partly attributed to batting behind Juan Soto, whose impressive OBP of .433 ensures he’s often on base when Judge steps up to bat. This dynamic duo has become one of baseball’s most formidable pairings.
The Yankees’ recent win over Cleveland pushed them back atop the AL East standings by half a game ahead of the Orioles and also gave them a slight edge over Cleveland for the top seed in the AL playoff bracket.
What do you think about Aaron Judge’s chances of hitting another 60 home runs?
