10 interesting facts about Aaron Judge’s 300th home run

On August 14, 2024, Aaron Judge achieved a significant milestone in his career by hitting his 300th home run during a game against the Chicago White Sox. The New York Yankees secured a 10-2 victory, with the captain’s accomplishment marking a historic moment in baseball. Here are 10 interesting things to know about his 300th home run.

#1. Fastest in MLB to reach 300th HR landmark

Aaron Judge reached this milestone in his 955th game and 3,431st at-bat, setting a new record for the fastest player to hit 300 home runs. His achievement surpassed the previous records held by Ralph Kiner and Babe Ruth in terms of games played and at-bats, respectively. Kiner did it in his 1,087th game and Ruth achieved it in his 3,831st at-bat

Fastest 300 home runs

#2. History made on Aaron Judge’s second shortest blast

The historic home run came in the eighth inning, when Aaron Judge hit a three-run shot off Chad Kuhl. The ball, which traveled 361 feet, landed in the White Sox bullpen in left field of Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago. This homer also marked the slugger’s 43rd of the season, putting him at the top of the major league leaderboard.

#3. Second pre-emptive free pass for Yankees slugger

The circumstances surrounding the 300th homer were also noteworthy, as it was only the second time in Aaron Judge’s career that the batter before him was intentionally walked. The White Sox walked Juan Soto, who hit his first three homer career game on the previous night and the Yankees captain punished them for that.

On August 31, 2016, the Kansas City Royals walked Chase Headley in the 13th inning just before Aaron Judge took to the plate.

#4. Aaron Judge takes eight years for 300 home runs

Interestingly, this milestone came almost exactly eight years and one day after the slugger’s first major league home run. Aaron Judge made his MLB debut on August 13, 2016, starting in right field for the Yankees. He homered in his first at-bat against Matt Andriese of the Tampa Bay Rays.

#5. A quick feet compared to 100th and 200th HRs

Aaron Judge’s journey to 300 home runs has been remarkable. He reached 200 home runs in 671 games and needed only 284 more to add another 100 to his tally. This achievement places him among the elite power hitters in baseball history, ranking 13th among active players and 162nd all-time.

His 100th home run came in his 371st game, the MLB’s third-fastest.

#6. Seventh on Yankees list to hit 300 home runs for team

In Yankees history, Aaron Judge joins an illustrious group of players who have hit 300 home runs for the franchise, including legends like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Alex Rodriguez.

#7. A-Rod steals a march over Aaron Judge

However, at 32 years old, Aaron Judge did not break the record for the youngest player to reach this milestone. That distinction belongs to Alex Rodriguez, who achieved it at 27 years and 249 days old while playing for the Rangers.

His late MLB start at 24 ruled out A-Rod’s youth record, set at 18. For the Yankees, Mantle holds the second-youngest 300-homer mark, achieving it at 28 years, 258 days in 1960.

#8. No. 2 Yankee to hit 300th HR mark in 2024

Aaron Judge’s accomplishment is part of a power-hitting trend for the Yankees this season. His teammate Anthony Rizzo also reached the 300-homer mark earlier in the season in April.

Meanwhile, Giancarlo Stanton leads all active MLB players with 420 home runs.

#9. Judge moves to seventh in all-time Bronx Bombers

With this homer, Aaron Judge moved to seventh place on the Yankees’ all-time home run list.

#10. 162nd overall and 13th active member of 300-HR club

With his 300th home run, Aaron Judge becomes the 162nd MLB player to achieve this feat. Currently, the majors have 13 such players, including the Yankees slugger, who are the members of the 300-Home Run club.

Aaron Judge still has a considerable distance to go to catch Babe Ruth’s franchise record of 659 home runs, let alone Ruth’s overall major league total of 714. What do you think? Leave your comment below.