Judge ties Babe Ruth’s single-season tally in a dramatic Yankees 9-8 win over the Pirates, Tuesday night.
The slugger is now one shy of Roger Maris’ American League (AL) single-season record.
The Yankees trailed by four runs at the bottom of the ninth inning against the Pirates, but Judge’s 430-foot bomb to left center field sparked a five-run rally capped by Giancarlo Stanton’s walk-off grand slam.
The 30-year-old Judge has now hit three home runs in his past two games and five in his past six games, moving into the lead in every Triple Crown category – batting average, RBIs and HRs.
Judge joined an exclusive club by reaching one of baseball’s most hallowed numbers, becoming the sixth player in MLB history to reach the milestone. In addition to Maris, he joins Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and, of course, Babe Ruth.
“I don’t think about the numbers,” Judge told reporters after the game. “When you talk about Ruth and Maris and Mantle and all these Yankee greats that did so many great things in this game, you never imagine as a kid getting mentioned with then. It’s an incredible honor and something I don’t take lightly at all.”
In addition to possibly matching or breaking Maris’ record, Judge could complete an offensive season for the ages by becoming the AL’s first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and the Yankees’ first since the iconic Mickey Mantle in 1956, according to MLB.com.
Main Image: Jamie Squire/Getty Images North America/Getty Images
