“It doesn’t mean anything because we lost” - Aaron Judge indifferent to 50 HR feat after third straight Yankees defeat
Aaron Judge continues to consolidate his baseball immortality. He took another step in that direction when he notched his 50th home run of the season against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday.
Judge blasted off of Angels reliever Ryan Teprera for his 50th homer this term. The New York Yankees were trailing and Judge’s homer reduced the deficit to 4-3 going into the ninth.
However, the comeback proved to be elusive as the Yankees fell to their third-straight defeat.
Judge on hitting his 50th: “It doesn’t mean anything because we lost.”
"Judge on hitting his 50th: “It doesn’t mean anything because we lost.” - Erik Boland
The result gave Judge no reason to celebrate his landmark achievement, and he made it very clear how unhappy he was with the result. Speaking after the game, Judge said:
“I’m not downplaying it, but I just don’t like talking numbers. It doesn’t mean anything because we lost. We can talk about numbers and all that kind of stuff when the season’s over with; we can review it. But for right now, the most important thing for me is getting some wins.”
Aaron Boone’s team continue to falter as their lead in the AL East shrinks to another game. The division title is still in their hands and they should wrap it up soon, ideally by the middle of September. Their World Series chances, however, are starting to bleak.
Aaron Judge has etched his name on the pages of baseball history
On Monday night, Judge joined Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle in being the only three Yankees to have enjoyed multiple 50 homer seasons. Judge hit 52 homers in his rookie 2017 season.
He also became the seventh player in MLB history to reach 50 homers before September. He is the first to do so since his current teammate, Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton homered 59 times for the 2017 Miami Marlins.
Aaron Judge 50 home runs in 50 seconds https://t.co/n116eBpxD6
"Aaron Judge 50 home runs in 50 seconds" - Frankie G
Roger Maris currently holds the New York Yankees' record for most home runs in a single season (61). That also happens to be the American League record.
Apart from Maris, only four players have homered more than 60 times in a year - Bave Ruth, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Sammy Sosa.
If Aaron Judge maintains his current trajectory, he will finish the season with 63 home runs. If successful, he would become only the sixth player in history to cross the 60-homers threshold.
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