Aaron Judge hit AL record home run #62 in game 161

Pa Disha Tosar
Posted by FOX Sports MLB

There’s everyone else…and then there’s that Aaron Judge.

Judge broke a tie with Roger Morris and now owns the AL single-season home run record after blasting his 62nd homer of the year into left field on a 1-1 slider with Rangers right-handed Jesus Tinoko on Tuesday at Globe Life Field.

The YankeesOn Sept. 28 in Toronto, the slugger tied Morris’ previous AL record of 61 home runs. Judge was then hit by a five-game, 17-at-bat streak leading up to Tuesday’s big blowout. He tied Babe Ruth’s mark of 60 home runs vs Pirates Sept. 20 at Yankee Stadium.

Homerun No. 62 hit from the leadoff spot in the first inning and third inning of Game 2 of a doubleheader, starting the Yankees’ 161st game of the season. In late September, Judge became the Yankees’ everyday leadoff hitter in order to get as many hits as possible and have as many chances as possible to make history.

His record-breaking home run clocked a staggering 100.2 mph and traveled 391 feet to left field. According to Statcast, that would be a home run in 29 of 30 ballparks.

As throughout Judge’s home run, his teammates were more excited about the historic achievement than he was. Judge has remained humble and humorous when speaking publicly about the possibility of passing Maris, and in the moments Judge took it all in, Tuesday night was no different. He hugged and shook hands with every person in and around the Yankee dugout who wanted to congratulate the great man.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, teammates and members of the coaching staff waited for Judge at home as he toured the bases. While those around him showed strong emotions, clearly enraptured by the heartbeat of their club, Judge looked happy but completely calm. His ability to balance all the pressure and peripherals that accompanied his pursuit of Maris’ record will not go unnoticed. His cool temperament and team attitude were present until the day he beat #62.

Boone removed Judge in the bottom of the second inning, and Judge received a standing ovation from thousands of fans in Texas as he jogged off the field. After he completed the odyssey, Judge received even more hugs from his teammates in the dugout. The unbreakable smile he flashed clearly signified his relief and satisfaction.

Judge’s mom, Patty, was sitting in the stands at Globe Life Field talking to the man to her right when Judge’s barrel connected for home run No. 62. She looked like she expected the ball off his bat to be an automatic fly out. After all, she’d been to every Yankees game the past few weeks, and in her son’s previous 17 games, she’d seen him hit balls that just couldn’t get over the damn fence.

But on Tuesday, when the ball sailed into left field, her face was apathetic while the ball was in the air. When he finally landed behind the left field wall in the seats, Patty closed her eyes, smiled, leaned back in her seat and let out a long breath. Then she stood, raised both hands in the air, and waved at Judge as he walked around the grounds. She was greeted with hugs and high-fives from those around her. She seemed stunned—and relieved, as was her son.

The umpire continued to smile long after a lucky fan in left field caught his historic ball. It wasn’t until a few minutes after No. 62 that he returned to his usual introspection — focusing on his teammates on the base paths and looking at how many cars were on the board.

“Finally,” he seems to have thought. Just hours earlier, he smashed his helmet into the dugout in frustration after pitching to end the fifth inning of Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Rangers. He did not return home after the series finale in New York Toronto last week. As the regular season wound down, he ran out of chances with every game that went without the long ball.

Aaron Judge hits 61st home run of the season, tying Roger Morris’ AL record

Aaron Judge smashed his 61st home run of the season in Toronto on Wednesday, tying Roger Maris for the most single-season home runs by an AL player.

Then start your pursuit of the Triple Crown. Judge owns the most home runs (62) and RBI (131) in Major League Baseball by a wide margin, and is second in the AL in batting average. When he hit 61st last week, he tied for first in the AL with Twins infielder Luis Arraes, both players have a .313 average. In the days that followed, Judge’s average dropped a bit, while Araesa’s average went up a bit.

But the pursuit of the Triple Crown is still on, and while it seems less attainable than it did a week ago, it’s another reminder of the special season Judge and the Yankees have enjoyed this year.

Judge has carried the Yankees since the All-Star break, and he will soon carry that wave into the postseason. After that, he’s expected to be released and, well, get paid. A lot.

Over the past few weeks, it’s become harder and harder to imagine the judge in any uniform other than Yankee pinstripes. Now, from his record-setting home run to his smile and his team’s reaction, it’s clear just how much No. 99 means to the franchise. What that might mean for his next contract remains an open question.

For now, however, Judge and the Yankees have time to live in the moment. It just became historic.

Disha Tosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @Disha Tosar.

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