ARLINGTON, Texas — A gasp, a moment of silence and an outburst of excitement echoed deep in the heart of Texas on Tuesday night.
New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits a home run on the left field wall of Texas Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco for his 62nd home run of the season at 7:08 p.m. The run became the home run king of the American League, surpassing the record set by former Yankees Roger Maris 61 years earlier in 1961.
Yankees players poured out of the dugout to greet the home-run judge, and the Rangers stood in awe as the sold-out 38,832 cheered until their lungs burned.
Judge Validates His Legacy, Produces One of the Greatest Seasons in Baseball History, Joins Mount Rushmore’s Greatest Single-season Home Run Hitters: Barry Bonds, Mark McGwell, Sammiso Sa and the present judge.
Judge, who was on the verge of hitting a record home run two weeks ago, has struggled recently, hitting just one homer in 58 appearances in his last 13 games. He’s hit .200 with doubles, homers, 17 walks and 13 strikeouts since tying Babe Ruth with his 60th homer.
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“He’s got some balls here the last couple of days,” Aaron Boone said, “overall he’s got a good swing and he’s fouled. It’s usually the fine line between you really rolling or just ticking. Difference. I think he got some pitches, but he didn’t really hold on like he had 61 and fouled some balls. But I don’t think he’s far away.”
He grinned as the judge rounded the base, enjoying the moment. He chased history for months. Now, the pressure has passed.
made history.
The only time Judge looked frustrated throughout the home run chase was when he hit a pop-up at 84 mph on Rangers starter Jon Gray in the first game of the doubles. After the pop-up window, the helmet was smashed into the air-raid shelter. The Rangers challenged him the entire game, but Judge hit just one in five at-bats, reducing his batting average to .310.
“I mean, I’m sure he wanted to hit it,” Boone said, “but frankly it’s not that different from what I’ve heard or seen all year.”
The only thing more frustrating were the fans, who hilariously booed him after halftime in his eighth inning single in Game 1 and booed him after the suspension ended.
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Now, the judge wants more.
He’s still trying to become the second player in the past 55 years to win the Triple Crown and the first Yankee since Mantel.
“The triple crown,” the judge said, “would be amazing.”
Judge is sure to win the home run (23 points lead) and RBI title (7 point lead), but trails the Minnesota Twins’ Luis Arraez in batting average of 0.315 to .310. Judge took a hit at Yankee Stadium last weekend when he went 1-for-7 with six strikeouts, five walks and 13 at-bats. He went just 2-for-9 in the Rangers’ first two games in the series, and Rangers general manager Chris Young implored his pitchers to challenge him.
