Yankees’ Judge puts Williams’ seemingly impossible 1941 record within reach

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Yankees’ Aaron Judge flirts with .400 batting average, raising hopes of matching Williams’ 1941 unmatched achievement.

Aaron Judge is no stranger to breaking records. But in 2025, the New York Yankees slugger is making a different kind of history — one not driven by towering home runs, but by consistency and contact.

Through the early stretch of the MLB season, Judge is batting a surreal .411, a mark not seen this deep into a season in decades. With 37 hits, seven homers, 25 RBIs, and a .505 on-base percentage through his first 90 at-bats, Judge has sparked legitimate buzz about a feat that has eluded baseball for over 80 years: a .400 season. The last to do it? Ted Williams, who hit .406 in 1941.

Not just power, but precision defines Judge’s torrid start

On Tuesday against Cleveland, Judge turned in another jaw-dropping performance, going 4-for-4 with a double, three singles, a stolen base, and a run scored. His pristine night raised his batting average from .389 to .411 — his second crossing of the .400 line this season.

Just last Wednesday, he went 3-for-3 with a solo home run, raising his average to .409 and his OPS to 1.322. While Judge has built his reputation on raw power — including an AL-record 62 home runs in 2022 and 58 in 2024 — his 2025 campaign shows he’s far more than a one-dimensional slugger.

Although he’s gone deep just once in his last 17 games, his so-called “power slump” masks a stretch of elite offensive production. Over those 17 games, Judge is slashing .426/.533/.541, reaching base in more than half his plate appearances. For any other hitter, that would be a career month. For Judge, it’s just April.

Why a .400 season is (almost) untouchable

The feat Judge is flirting with is monumental, not just in historical weight, but in modern difficulty. In the decades since Ted Williams defied the odds in 1941, not a single hitter has managed a full season batting average over .400.

The reasons are many. Pitchers are faster, arsenals are deeper, and defensive shifts (though limited by recent rule changes) still impact batted ball outcomes. Plate discipline has also shifted, with hitters often sacrificing contact for launch angle and power. But Judge, despite being a power-hitter prototype at 6-foot-7, is proving he can combine the best of both worlds.

One of Judge’s biggest hurdles will be volume. Even one mini-slump can send a batting average tumbling. Judge hit .322 in 2024, which ranked among the league leaders, but staying above .400 for an entire season would require not just elite talent, but consistent performance and, crucially, health.

Historical context and elite company

Judge’s current stretch isn’t just historic in terms of batting average. Across his last 162 games dating back to April 17, 2024, he owns a 1.214 OPS — a level of dominance achieved by just two other players in the past quarter-century: Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. Notably, both players competed under the shadow of performance-enhancing drug allegations.

Judge, by contrast, is building his legacy with clean power and polished hitting. In that 162-game window, he’s produced a slash line of .343/.473/.739 with 63 home runs, 137 runs scored, and 159 RBIs. Those numbers put him in elite company — in fact, the only other player in MLB history to match those marks in any 162-game stretch is Babe Ruth.

Leading the Yankees and the league

What makes Judge’s tear even more impressive is the context. Giancarlo Stanton has been dealing with injuries again. The slugger also lacks Juan Soto’s support he enjoyed in 2024. Yet the Yankees’ captain has thrived.

The Yankees as a team are off to a solid 14-9 start, and Judge has been the engine behind that success. He’s already swiped three bases and scored 22 runs, showing his impact across the board.

If he maintains this pace, Judge could realistically add a third MVP award to his trophy case. Already a two-time MVP, six-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and former Rookie of the Year, he’s building a resume that’s quickly approaching Cooperstown status. With 322 career home runs, he’s on track to surpass 350 by season’s end.

Can he actually hit .400?

The odds, historically speaking, are slim. No one since Williams has reached .400. The closest modern challenger was Tony Gwynn, who hit .394 in the strike-shortened 1994 season. Others like Nomar Garciaparra and Ichiro Suzuki flirted with the mark deep into seasons, but eventually fell short.

Still, what sets Judge apart is his ability to adjust. His plate discipline is sharp, his contact rate is improving, and he’s no longer a player who merely swings for the fences. In 2025, he’s finding holes, working counts, and taking what pitchers give him. He’s become more than a power bat — he’s a pure hitter.

Aaron Judge chasing .400 isn’t just a statistical curiosity. It’s a story of evolution, persistence, and skill in the face of baseball’s hardest challenge. Whether or not the Yankees captain can sustain this torrid pace, his start to the 2025 season has already made headlines — and could make history.

As long as he stays healthy and continues this level of play, fans in the Bronx — and across baseball — will be watching closely. Ted Williams’ ghost may just have company by season’s end.

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