Aaron Judge matched Babe Ruth’s 1927 season by hitting his 60th home run of the season on Sept. 20. After seven long games without going deep, he tied Roger Maris’s American League record by hitting his 61st homer of the season on Wednesday against the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
As Judge has pursued the A.L.’s single-season home run record — every non-Yankee who has hit at least 60 home runs has been connected to performance-enhancing drugs — we have been tracking his progress against where Maris was at in 1961 and where Ruth was at in 1927.
Pitcher: Tim Mayza, TOR | Inning: 7
Loc: Left | Distance: 394 feet | Box Score
After a stretch of seven games without a home run, Judge finally did it, crushing a ball into the left field bullpen at Rogers Centre in Toronto to tie Roger Maris’s American League record, set in 1961.
“Just one too many good pitches over the plate to a really good hitter,” Mayza told reporters after the game.
Pitcher: Wil Crowe, PIT | Inning: 9
Loc: Left | Distance: 430 feet | Box Score
After starting the day 0 for 3 with a walk, Judge came up in the ninth inning of the first game of a six-game homestand and he emphatically joined the 60-homer club with a deep blast to left field that left no doubt.
Pitcher: Jason Alexander, MIL | Inning: 3
Loc: Right | Distance: 414 feet
Pitcher: Luis Perdomo, MIL | Inning: 7
Loc: Left | Distance: 443 feet | Box Score
Judge had not homered since Tuesday, but he put on a show in the series finale against Milwaukee on Sunday, homering twice.
His strength continues to be put on display. In the third inning, he took a 92-mile-per-hour sinker and launched it 414 feet to the opposite field. Then, in the seventh, he went even deeper, connecting with a slider and sending it 443 feet into the stands in left.
“We have some big games coming up,” Judge told reporters of his home run total. “That’s really the only thing on my mind right now. My focus is to go out there and win a game.”
Pitcher: Nick Pivetta, BOS | Inning: 6
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 383 feet
Pitcher: Garrett Whitlock, BOS | Inning: 8
Loc: Left | Distance: 389 feet | Box Score
Judge has hit home runs off pitches of all shapes and sizes this season, but a 76-mile-per-hour knuckle-curve from Pivetta in the sixth inning was like a batting-practice fastball. Judge took a small stride with his left foot, offered a fairly easy swing, and sent the ball 383 feet into the stands in right field.
Then in the eighth, with Whitlock pitching, Judge managed to lay off a pair of sinkers before pouncing on an 86-mile-per-hour slider, pulling it to left for No. 57.
“I’m out of adjectives,” Yankees Manager Aaron Boone told reporters after the game. “Just really impressive what he did.”
Pitcher: Louie Varland, MIN | Inning: 4
Loc: Left | Distance: 374 feet | Box Score
Judge did not homer on Tuesday, breaking a three-day streak, but that was only because the Yankees’ game against Minnesota was postponed because of rain. In the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader he picked up right where he had been, homering in the fourth inning on a 85-mile-per-hour changeup that he sent into the stands in left field.
Pitcher: Trevor Megill, MIN | Inning: 6
Loc: Left | Distance: 404 feet | Box Score
Some people have mocked the dimensions of Yankee Stadium during Judge’s march toward 60 home runs, but No. 54 would have been out of just about any park as he crushed it 404 feet down the left field line with the ball landing in the second-deck stands. That the home run put the struggling Yankees ahead in the game was icing on the cake.
“It’s getting hard to put into words what he’s doing,” Manager Aaron Boone said of Judge. “Just a special season he’s in the midst of.”
Pitcher: Shawn Armstrong, TBR | Inning: 1
Loc: Left | Distance: 450 feet | Box Score
Trying to find some offense for the Yankees, Manager Aaron Boone put Judge in the leadoff spot for a day game against Tampa Bay. Armstrong missed with a 94-mile-per-hour sinker out of the zone and then tried the same pitch again. Bad move. Judge hit an absolute moonshot to left for his 53rd homer of the season and his fourth in his last six games.
The 53 homers is a new career high for Judge, who hit 52 while winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2017. It was a rookie record at the time, though it was eclipsed by Pete Alonso of the Mets in 2019.
“Special player, he’s having an M.V.P. season,” Rays Manager Kevin Cash said of Judge. “He’s really tough to pitch to,”
Pitcher: Jason Adam, TBR | Inning: 9
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 392 feet | Box Score
The Yankees managed just three hits in a second straight loss to Tampa Bay, but Judge still managed to add to his total. He led off the ninth inning and the second pitch he saw was a 90-mile-per-hour changeup that he had no trouble hitting into the stands beyond the wall in right-center.
Pitcher: Mike Mayers, LAA | Inning: 4
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 378 feet | Box Score
Falling behind Judge is never a good idea. Falling behind him with two men on base is an even worse idea. Throwing a 95-mile-per-hour four-seam fastball up in the zone when you’re behind in the count with two runners on is just begging him to hit a three-run homer. And that’s just what he did in the fourth inning of a game against the struggling Angels.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Jameson Taillon said of Judge. “Feels like any time he’s out there, he’s got a chance to do something special.
Pitcher: Ryan Tepera, LAA | Inning: 8
Loc: Center | Distance: 434 feet | Box Score
Judge grounded out in his first at-bat and then Phil Nevin, the Angels’ interim manager and a former Yankees coach, opted to intentionally walk him the next two times he came to the plate. It worked out: Each time there was a runner on second base with two outs, and each time Andrew Benintendi made an out to end the inning.
But with one out and no one on in the eighth, Tepera pitched to Judge, who hit a curveball over the center field fence at Angel Stadium to cut the Yankees’ deficit to 4-3. He became the third Yankee, after Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, to have multiple 50-homer seasons, but New York lost its third straight game.
“It’s just another number,” Judge told reporters of reaching 50. “It’s great, but I’m kind of upset about the loss.”
Pitcher: JP Sears, OAK | Inning: 5
Loc: Center | Distance: 427 feet | Box Score
Sears managed to avoid Judge twice, walking his former teammate in his first two plate appearances. But he had to face him eventually. The first pitch he threw to Judge in the fifth inning — a 78-mile-per-hour slider — was promptly deposited in center field for a three-run homer.
Aug. 23
No. 48 — A Sinker to Forget
Pitcher: Taijuan Walker, NYM | Inning: 4
Loc: Left | Distance: 453 feet | Box Score
Looking to stay hot against the Mets, Judge worked a seven-pitch at-bat against Walker. With a full count, Walker tried to put Judge away with a 95-mile-per-hour sinker and then had to watch as Judge absolutely demolished the ball 453 feet into the left field stands.
Judge has homered in four consecutive games when facing Walker.
Aug. 22
No. 47 — Strength Against Strength
Pitcher: Max Scherzer, NYM | Inning: 3
Loc: Right | Distance: 383 feet | Box Score
Scherzer had allowed only eight home runs this season when Judge came to the plate in the third inning. He threw three consecutive four-seamers, which was one too many as Judge took it over the short fence in right field for a solo homer.
“I thought if I kept the ball down on Judge, I could keep him in the ballpark,” Scherzer said. “But he put a better swing on it, was able to hit a solo shot. But that’s not what lost the ballgame.”
Aug. 12
No. 46 — Puny Wall
Pitcher: Nathan Eovaldi, BOS | Inning: 3
Loc: Left | Distance: 429 feet | Box Score
Eovaldi made the mistake of leaving a fastball up in the zone and Judge sent it high over the Green Monster at Fenway Park for his 46th home run and 100th run batted in of the season.
Aug. 10
No. 45 — Leaving in a Hurry
Pitcher: Penn Murfee, SEA | Inning: 7
Loc: Left | Distance: 412 feet | Box Score
There was no doubt about whether Judge’s blast in the seventh inning of an afternoon game in Seattle would be a home run. He swung at the first pitch he saw in the at-bat, sending it 105 miles per hour off his bat and into the stands in left field.
Aug. 8
No. 44 — Back in Business
Pitcher: Ryan Borucki, SEA | Inning: 9
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 423 feet | Box Score
After a week without a home run, Judge got a slider on the outside of the plate and muscled it over the wall in center, with the ball disappearing into the batter’s eye at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
Aug. 1
No. 43 — New Month, Same Hitter
Pitcher: Marco Gonzales, SEA | Inning: 2
Loc: Center | Distance: 420 feet | Box Score
Judge hit 13 home runs in July and he started August the same way, homering on the first pitch of his second at-bat of the month. “It’s fun watching what he’s doing right now,” Manager Aaron Boone said of Judge, who was on pace for 67 home runs this season after Monday’s blast. “So I think obviously that was part of his game plan tonight, being aggressive. Got what he was looking for in the first couple of at-bats and put great swings on it.”
July 30
No. 42 — Second Fastest to 200
Pitcher: Jonathan Heasley, KCR | Inning: 2
Loc: Right | Distance: 364 feet | Box Score
A day after Judge robbed M.J. Melendez of a home run with a sensational catch, Melendez was at the wall in right watching a fly ball from Judge just barely make it over the fence for a home run. Judge became the second-fastest player in major league history to reach 200 home runs, doing it in his 671st game — Ryan Howard, formerly of the Philadelphia Phillies, did it in 658 games. “I feel like the big numbers, it’s always tough to get past those,” Judge said. “To get that out of the way, plus a win, is pretty sweet.”
July 29
Nos. 40 and 41 — In Grand Fashion
Pitcher: Kris Bubic, KCR | Inning: 3
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 449 feet
Pitcher: Jackson Kowar, KCR | Inning: 8
Loc: Right | Distance: 370 feet | Box Score
After robbing M.J. Melendez of a home run in the first inning, Judge hit a two-run homer in the third for his 40th. Five innings — and one rain delay — later, he went deep again, this time with the bases loaded. He finished the game 3 for 5 with 6 R.B.I. “Just takes the magic wand and does his thing,” Yankees ace Gerrit Cole said of Judge.
July 28
No. 39 — A Walk-Off Against Kansas City
Walk-Off | Pitcher: Scott Barlow, KCR | Inning: 9
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 431 feet | Box Score
“It doesn’t cease to amaze the season he’s putting together,” Manager Aaron Boone said of Judge’s ninth-inning homer off Scott Barlow that gave the Yankees their only run of the day — and a walk-off win at home. Boone added: “Just gets a pitch and to put it up in the air where he did is just, not many people can hit it like that and ride it out like he did.”
Pitcher: Taijuan Walker, NYM | Inning: 1
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 423 feet | Box Score
Judge and Anthony Rizzo hit back-to-back homers in the top of the first inning, but the Mets answered with four runs in the bottom of the first and cruised to a 6-3 victory.
July 24
No. 37 — Trying to Raise His Average
Pitcher: Dean Kremer, BAL | Inning: 3
Loc: Left | Distance: 456 feet | Box Score
“I saw a lot of the greats — Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera — they always hit above .300 and the power just came with it,” Judge said after raising his average for the season to .294. “That’s always been a goal of mine to hit above .300 and we’ll keep working towards it.”
July 22
Nos. 35 and 36 — Beating Up on Tyler Wells
No. 35 | Pitcher: Tyler Wells, BAL | Inning: 3
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 436 feet
No. 36 | Pitcher: Tyler Wells, BAL | Inning: 5
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 465 feet | Box Score
“It doesn’t help when you throw it down the middle to him,” Tyler Wells said of Judge, who got “M-V-P” chants despite the game being played in Baltimore. “The first home run I gave to him, I was trying to go up there, and just didn’t get it in enough. The second one, he just took a pitch right down the middle and he hit a long way.”
July 21
No. 34 — Riding the Rails
Pitcher: Brandon Bielak, HOU | Inning: 9
Loc: Left | Distance: 410 feet | Box Score
Judge’s three-run home run in the ninth landed on the train tracks above the wall in left field at Houston’s Minute Maid Park, but that wasn’t enough against the Astros, as the Yankees lost, 7-5.
July 16
Nos. 32 and 33 — Heating Up
No. 32 | Pitcher: Nick Pivetta, BOS | Inning: 5
Loc: Left | Distance: 401 feet
No. 33 | Pitcher: Kaleb Ort, BOS | Inning: 6
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 444 feet | Box Score
“It’s incredible,” Judge said when told he was on pace for 59 home runs with one game left before the All-Star break. “We still got one more day. Don’t cut me short now.”
July 14
No. 31 — Not Enough Against Cincy
Pitcher: Jeff Hoffman, CIN | Inning: 8
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 435 feet | Box Score
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the league,” Judge said of the right-handed starter Luis Castillo after he allowed just one run in seven innings and the Reds beat the Yankees in the 10th. “He just didn’t leave too many mistakes for us to hit. When you have 100 and you’re painting the corners, that’s in for a tough day.”
July 6
No. 30 — Ending a Drought?
Pitcher: Manny Bañuelos, PIT | Inning: 8
Loc: Left | Distance: 419 feet | Box Score
“It’s hard for me to relate to that,” Manager Aaron Boone, whose career-high was 26 home runs in 2002, said of Judge ending a five-game homerless streak to hit No. 30 in a 16-0 win against Pittsburgh. “So it’s been pretty impressive, whatever — halfway in here — the kind of baseball he’s playing. Obviously the power has been right there.”
Pitcher: Cole Irvin, OAK | Inning: 1
Loc: Left | Distance: 429 feet | Box Score
“It’d be great if it happened,” Judge said of the concept of hitting 62 home runs this season. “It’ll be something that’s pretty cool, but I think having a ring on my finger at the end of the year would be even better.”
June 26
No. 28 — A Walk-Off Against Houston
Walk-Off | Pitcher: Seth Martinez, HOU | Inning: 10
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 417 feet | Box Score
“I told him I have to quit taking him for granted,” Manager Aaron Boone said after Judge hit a three-run home run in the 10th inning to give the Yankees a huge win over Houston.
No. 26 | Pitcher: Shane Baz, TB | Inning: 4
Loc: Left | Distance: 396 feet
No. 27 | Pitcher: Colin Poche, TB | Inning: 7
Loc: Left | Distance: 406 feet | Box Score
Judge’s 22nd career multihomer game helped offset a wildly hot Isaac Paredes, who had homered four times in two games for the Rays.
June 15
No. 25 — Even the Short Homers Count
Pitcher: Shane McClanahan, TB | Inning: 1
Loc: Right | Distance: 364 feet | Box Score
When asked what powered the Yankees to a 13th straight win at home, Judge said, “The fans. They’re loud, they’re on their feet all game, from the very first pitch they’re there and then the top of the ninth they were screaming.” Also helping: The short homer Judge hit against Shane McClanahan, a favorite for the American League Cy Young Award, would not have cleared the fence in any other stadium.
June 11
Nos. 23 and 24 — Starting Off Right
No. 23 | Pitcher: Matt Swarmer, CHC | Inning: 1
Loc: Left | Distance: 383 feet
No. 24 | Pitcher: Matt Swarmer, CHC | Inning: 5
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 431 feet | Box Score
“It’s fun, I don’t mind leading off,” Judge said after hitting his second career leadoff homer. “It doesn’t matter if I’m leading off or hitting second.”
June 7
No. 22 — Team Effort
Pitcher: Cole Sands, MIN | Inning: 1
Loc: Center | Distance: 431 feet | Box Score
“Nobody has to feel like they’ve got to do everything,” Judge said after he and Giancarlo Stanton homered in the same game for the 23rd time in five seasons. “Hey, if we don’t get a hit or get the job done that time, I know the guy behind me is going to pick it up.”
June 4
No. 21 — First Batter, First Run
Pitcher: Beau Brieske, DET | Inning: 1
Loc: Right | Distance: 378 feet | Box Score
A leadoff home run set the tone in the Yankees’ fifth win in a row.
June 3
No. 20 — First to 20 Homers
Pitcher: Elvin Rodriguez, DET | Inning: 3
Loc: Right | Distance: 378 feet | Box Score
Judge became the first player in the majors this season to reach 20 homers, with his third-inning blast landing just in front of the Judge’s Chambers cheering section in right field.
Pitcher: Shohei Ohtani, LAA | Inning: 3
Loc: Left | Distance: 405 feet | Box Score
“They’re really good at reading pitchers,” Joe Maddon, the Angels’ manager at the time, said after Shohei Ohtani allowed three home runs against the Yankees, including one to Judge. “They’re very good at it.”
May 29
No. 18 — Coming Up Short in Tampa
Pitcher: Colin Poche, TB | Inning: 8
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 420 feet | Box Score
Serving as the team’s designated hitter, Judge had two hits, including a homer in the eighth, but it was not enough in a 4-2 loss.
May 23
Nos. 16 and 17 — When Two Is Not Enough
No. 16 | Pitcher: Jordan Lyles, BAL | Inning: 1
Loc: Left-Center | Distance: 418 feet
No. 17 | Pitcher: Jordan Lyles, BAL | Inning: 5
Loc: Left | Distance: 405 feet | Box Score
“It’s really special,” Manager Aaron Boone said after Judge’s 20th career multihomer game. “I sometimes take it for granted but not right now. He’s a really special player and obviously really carrying us offensively.”
May 22
No. 15 — Keeping the Yankees in the Game
Pitcher: Kendal Graveman, CHW | Inning: 8
Loc: Left | Distance: 431 feet | Box Score
Judge’s eighth-inning home run briefly tied the game, but Chicago scored two runs in the ninth to win.
May 17
Nos. 13 and 14 — A Game of Adjustments
No. 13 | Pitcher: Spenser Watkins, BAL | Inning: 3
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 410 feet
No. 14 | Pitcher: Joey Krehbiel, BAL | Inning: 5
Loc: Center | Distance: 422 feet | Box Score
“I learned my lesson and decided to go to right field after that,” Judge said after his first-inning blast went 399 feet but was stopped by a new wall in left field at Camden Yards.
May 13
No. 12 — Teaming Up With Stanton
Pitcher: Vince Velasquez, CHW | Inning: 4
Loc: Right | Distance: 355 feet | Box Score
“We got torched,” White Sox Manager Tony La Russa said after Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both homered for the Yankees. “It was almost always we missed our location. You would see the catcher setting up the pitcher in a different place, and missing. That’s what a hitter is supposed to do. They punished it.”
May 12
No. 11 — Going (Very) Deep
Pitcher: Ryan Burr, CHW | Inning: 7
Loc: Left | Distance: 456 feet | Box Score
“You know if you don’t get it done, the guy in front of you or behind you will,” Giancarlo Stanton said in a game in which he, Judge and Josh Donaldson all homered. “It’s good, it lets you kind of get deep into your at-bat and not rush your plan and try to execute best as possible.”
May 10
No. 10 — Tenth Homer, First Walk-Off
Walk-Off | Pitcher: Jordan Romano, TOR | Inning: 9
Loc: Left | Distance: 414 feet | Box Score
“It’s a weird feeling,” Judge said after hitting a walk-off homer against Toronto. “You hear the crowd going crazy and you see the bench, you see guys jumping over the railing. A special moment you get to share with them.”
Pitcher: Alek Manoah, TOR | Inning: 6
Loc: Left | Distance: 427 feet | Box Score
“It definitely pumped some life into us,” Manager Aaron Boone said of Judge’s 427-foot shot.
May 1
Nos. 7 and 8 — A ‘Monster’
No. 7 | Pitcher: Daniel Lynch, KCR | Inning: 1
Loc: Right | Distance: 456 feet
No. 8 | Pitcher: Josh Staumont, KCR | Inning: 9
Loc: Center | Distance: 395 feet | Box Score
“What can I say?” pitcher Luis Severino asked of Judge, who homered in the first and ninth innings. “The guy’s a monster.”
April 29
No. 6 — A Three-Run Bomb
Pitcher: Dylan Coleman, KCR | Inning: 7
Loc: Right | Distance: 389 feet | Box Score
“It was a close game,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “We get out of the gates with three runs, but it was 3-2 going into the seventh. There were some really good at-bats that set that up.”
April 28
No. 5 — Taking Advantage of Miscues
Pitcher: Paul Fry, BAL | Inning: 8
Loc: Left | Distance: 415 feet | Box Score
Judge’s fifth homer of the season came after a costly series of errors by Baltimore. “Whenever you get extra outs in a baseball game, you always want to cash in on those,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo said.
April 26
No. 4 — Happy Birthday
Pitcher: Alexander Wells, BAL | Inning: 8
Loc: Left | Distance: 392 feet | Box Score
Judge joined Lou Gehrig and Jerry Mumphrey as Yankees to homer on their 30th birthdays.
April 22
Nos. 2 and 3 — A Big Big Night
No. 2 | Pitcher: Eli Morgan, CLE | Inning: 3
Loc: Right-Center | Distance: 397 feet
No. 3 | Pitcher: Tanner Tully, CLE | Inning: 5
Loc: Right | Distance: 364 feet | Box Score
“Judgy kind of had that look in his eye tonight,” Manager Aaron Boone said. “Sometimes he tells me he’s got us, but he kind of gave me that look right before the game, like: ‘I got this.’”
April 13
No. 1 — On the Board
Pitcher: José Berríos, TOR | Inning: 5
Loc: Left | Distance: 413 feet | Box Score
Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres and Judge all homered, but it wasn’t enough in a Yankees loss. Judge’s first homer of the year came in the Yankees’ seventh game.
