Is Aaron Judge slipping away in the triple crown chase?

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(updated on October 3.)

Aaron Judge leads in the home runs and RBIs. The slugger for the Yankees has the second-best batting average as of now. He has been in the news a lot because he is trying to break Roger Maris’s AL record of 61 home runs in a single season. Maris set this record 61 years ago. On September 28, Aaron Judge hit a home run against the Blue Jays in Toronto to tie Maris.

As he gets closer to his 62nd homer, Aaron Judge is also in the running for the batting title. If he wins that, he would be in the lead for all three parts of the Triple Crown in the MLB.

Here’s a rundown of where Aaron Judge stands in his quest for the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera’s in 2012 and the 13th in AL/NL history:

Aaron Judge on October 3:

Sunday’s stats: 0-for-3, 1 BB
Last 10 games: 5-for-26 (.192), 1 HR, 2 RBIs

Aaron Judge’s stats until September 19 were:

Sunday’s stats: 4-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBIs
Last 10 games: 19-for-38 (.500), 4 HR, 9 RBIs

Aaron Judge’s rank for Triple Crown on October 3:

Batting average: .311 — 2nd in AL (1st: Luis Arraez at .315; 3rd: Xander Bogaerts at .305)
Home runs: 61 — Top
Runs batted in: 130 — 1st

Aaron Judge’s rank for Triple Crown on September 19:

Batting average: .316 – second in AL behind Luis Arraez’s .317
Home runs: 59 — Top
Runs batted in: 127 — First

Past Triple Crowns

Here are some of the best players of all time that Judge would join if he did it. Since RBIs became an official stat in 1920, only 10 players in the AL or NL have won a Triple Crown. Two of these players have won more than once. In the Divisional Era, there has only been one Triple Crown since 1967.

Recent close calls

Since Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown in 2012, several big-name hitters have tried to win it at the end of the season, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Here are five players who came close but didn’t make it.

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (2021, AL): Shohei Ohtani won the MVP award, but Vlad Jr.’s attempt to win the Triple Crown was a big part of the story. He tied for the AL home run title with 48, but failed to top in batting average and RBI.

• Marcell Ozuna (2020, NL): Ozuna led the season in home runs and RBIs, but his .338 average put him third.

• Christian Yelich (2018, NL): Yeli was the NL MVP for the Brewers. He won the batting title and came close to Nolan Arenado and Javier Báez in home runs and RBIs.

• J.D. Martinez (2018, AL): Martinez won the AL RBI title and came in second in both home runs (43) and batting average (five behind Khris Davis) (.330, 16 points behind Red Sox teammate Mookie Betts).

• Miguel Cabrera (2013, AL): Miggy almost won two straight Triple Crowns. He won the batting title, but Orioles slugger Chris Davis beat him by nine home runs and one RBI.

Judge’s Triple Crown Chances

• Two Yankees already won the Triple Crown. Lou Gehrig had it in 1934. Mickey Mantle claimed it 22 years later. Aaron Judge would be the third player in Yankees history to win the Triple Crown if he gets this season. Only the Cardinals and Red Sox had three players who won the crown more thrice.

• If Aaron Judge wins the Triple Crown this year, it will be 100 years since Hornsby won the first one in 1922.

• If he gets hold of it, he will be the seventh consecutive from the American League to have it. Since 1937, no one from the National League has won the crown.

Will Aaron Judge win the crown? Who will get it for pitching?

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