Yankees slugger Aaron Judge showcased his formidable power in Friday’s 4-1 win over the Orioles at Camden Yards, launching his Major League-leading 33rd home run of the season. This solo shot in the third inning off Baltimore’s Cade Povich marked his second time achieving 33 home runs before the All-Star break, mirroring his 2022 feat.
Aaron Judge’s milestone places him in rarefied air, with only Roger Maris previously reaching 33 home runs before the All-Star break for the Yankees, a record set in 1961. The homer was especially notable as it snapped the Yankees captain’s recent brief slump, where he had managed just four hits in 31 at-bats over eight games without any extra-base hits or RBIs.
Crushed off a 77.5 mph curveball, Aaron Judge’s home run traveled 397 feet with an exit velocity of 107.4 mph, marking his 23rd career home run at Camden Yards.
Aaron Judge in the Yankees’ elite club
His stellar performance slots him among an elite group of Yankees who have hit at least 33 home runs in the team’s first 96 games of a season, joining the ranks of legends such as Babe Ruth, who accomplished the feat five times (40 in 1928, 38 in 1921, 36 in 1930, 35 in 1920, and 33 in 1927), Mickey Mantle with 38 in 1961, Roger Maris also with 38 in 1961, Tino Martinez with 33 in 1997, and Aaron Judge himself, who previously hit 36 in 2022 and now 33 in 2024.
A six-time All-Star, Judge is set to start for the American League in the upcoming All-Star Game at Globe Life Field.
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