Aaron Judge hits his 50th homer for the Yankees, becoming the fifth player in Major League Baseball history to achieve this milestone three times. This impressive feat was accomplished on Sunday during the first inning against the Colorado Rockies.
Judge launched a 0-2 changeup from pitcher Austin Gomber into the left-center visiting bullpen, giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead. Remarkably, this was his 18th home run in the first inning this season, tying him with Alex Rodriguez for the major league record set in 2001.
Joining the ranks of legends, Judge is now alongside Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, and Babe Ruth as the only players to have three seasons with 50 or more home runs.
Rodriguez achieved this milestone during his time with the Texas Rangers in 2001 and 2002 and later hit 54 homers for the Yankees in 2007.
Sosa had an astonishing four consecutive 50-homer seasons from 1998 to 2001, while McGwire matched this feat from 1996 to 1999, including his remarkable 70-homer season in 1998. Babe Ruth, a Yankees icon, recorded back-to-back 50-homer seasons in 1920 and 1921, and again in 1927 and 1928.
Ruth’s 60 homers in 1927 set an American League record that stood until Roger Maris hit 61 for the Yankees in 1961. Judge surpassed Maris’ single-season AL record by launching 62 home runs in 2022.
Interestingly, just two years ago, Judge reached the 50-homer mark in New York’s 129th game, hitting a home run in Anaheim against Angels reliever Ryan Tepera.
