Yankees News: Aaron Judge surpasses Derek Jeter on club's all-time home run list by hitting no. 261 against Athletics
It's safe to say that Aaron Judge will forever be considered one of the best players ever to don a New York Yankees uniform. The mammoth outfielder has made a name for himself as one of the most powerful hitters in baseball since his MLB debut back in 2016.
The New York Yankees captain has been no stranger to making history as a member of the club. In 2022, when Aaron Judge won the first American League MVP Award of his career by setting a new record for single-season home runs in the AL. Judge surpassed Yankees great Roger Maris by crushing 62 balls over the fence.
"All Rise! Aaron Judge goes deep for the 4th time this year" - @MLB
Well, thanks to that historic season, Judge has continued to grow his legacy with the club. On Wednesday night, the superstar outfielder hit his 4th home run of the season, but more importantly, he continued his climb toward the top of the team's all-time leaderboard.
His home run was the 261st of his career with the New York Yankees, surpassing one of the players most synonymous with the club, Derek Jeter. Jeter spent all 20 of his MLB seasons with the club, whereas Judge is only in his 9th season with the Bronx Bombers.
"With his first-inning blast, Aaron Judge has passed Derek Jeter on the all-time Yankees home run list with 261" - @TalkinYanks
Although Derek Jeter was not known as a power-hitter, the fact that Judge has already moved into sole possession of 9th place for home runs in club history is impressive. Next on the list is Jorge Posada, who finished with 275 home runs, a number that Aaron Judge should likely pass this season.
Aaron Judge could finish his career inside the top 3 on the Yankees' home run list
It remains to be seen how Judge will age in the MLB. It may be difficult for someone of his size to remain as productive as he has been throughout his career. At 6-foot-7 and nearly 300lbs, Judge is one of the biggest players in MLB history, which could limit the number of years that he will remain at the top.
If he can remain healthy for several more seasons, Judge could find himself flirting with a top 3 spot on the New York Yankees' all-time home run list. Judge will only need to hit 101 more home runs to move ahead of Joe DiMaggio (361) for 4th all-time. The biggest hurdle will be Lou Gehrig, who hit 493 home runs with the Yankees. Ahead of him is Mickey Mantle (536) and Babe Ruth (659).