Aaron Judge keeps Yankees’ hopes alive with 58th HR, approaching MVP milestones

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In the eighth inning of the Yankees’ 10-1 win against the Orioles, Aaron Judge blasted his 58th home run of the season, leaving everyone in awe.

It was the second time Judge has homered in five straight games, a feat he first accomplished in 2020. Jazz Chisholm, watching from the dugout, looked like he couldn’t believe it—just days earlier, he’d called the Yankees the best team he’s ever faced and predicted they’d win the World Series.

Aaron Judge’s historic streak

As fans at Yankee Stadium chanted “MVP,” Aaron Judge brought his home run total to 58 with three games left in the season. Earlier, Giancarlo Stanton also homered, making it the 14th time this year that both he and Judge have gone deep in the same game. According to Opta, that ties them with Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle, who did the same in 1961.

Aaron Judge has consistently teamed up with his fellow sluggers for home runs. In 2002, he and Jason Giambi combined for 13 homers. He hit the same number with Anthony Rizzo in 2022, and with Juan Soto in 2024. He and Stanton also teamed up for 12 homers in 2022, cementing Judge as a player who thrives alongside some of the game’s best hitters.

Aaron Judge’s dominance this season

This year, Aaron Judge is putting up eye-popping numbers: 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, a .325 batting average, and a 1.169 OPS. ESPN’s Ryan Garcia noted that Aaron Judge’s 11.2 WAR now surpasses his total from 2022, the year he won MVP, where he posted an 11.1 WAR.

According to YES Network’s James Smith, Aaron Judge’s five-game home run streak puts him among Yankee legends. Don Mattingly holds the record with an eight-game streak in 1987, followed by Lou Gehrig and Roger Maris with six-game streaks in 1931 and 1961. Babe Ruth also had a five-game streak in 1921, and Alex Rodriguez did it in 2007. Now, Aaron Judge has done it twice—once in 2020 and now in 2024.

Before the Yankees celebrated clinching the AL East title, Aaron Judge capped off the night with a two-run homer in the seventh inning. His late-season surge has him approaching more milestones, though a 16-game home run drought earlier in the year may keep him from matching his AL record of 62 home runs set in 2022.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke glowingly of Aaron Judge, saying, “We’re watching a historically great player. His power is undeniable, but he takes just as much pride in being a well-rounded hitter. I wouldn’t say he’s completely on a different level than 2022, but he’s an even better hitter now.”

While Aaron Judge might not win the Triple Crown due to Bobby Witt Jr.’s higher batting average, he still looks set to capture his second AL MVP award. His 144 RBIs are the most by any player since Ryan Howard’s 146 in 2008.

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