TORONTO – In his “season for the ages,” New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge reached a magical home run milestone Wednesday night, indoors at the Rogers Centre.
Batting in the seventh inning, Judge launched his 61st home run of the year, a go-ahead, two-run shot to left off Blue Jays’ lefty reliever Tim Mayza.
In game no. 155, Judge moved past Babe Ruth and into a tie with Roger Maris, who set the single-season franchise record with 61 home runs in 1961.
With Roger Maris Jr. in attendance, Judge joined the late Maris for a share of the all-time American League record for homers in a season.
Between home runs No. 60 on Sept. 20, at Yankee Stadium, tying Ruth’s mark in 1927, and No. 61, Judge made 34 plate appearances, going 5-for-21 (.238) with three doubles, 13 walks (one intentional), eight strikeouts and one 404-foot flyout to center.
Judge walked, flew out and grounded out in his first three plate appearances Wednesday night. He walked four times in Tuesday’s 5-2 Yankees win, which clinched the AL East title.
In Monday’s series opener, the Rogers Center crowd initially greeted Judge with a healthy mix of cheers, and there has been a considerable amount of booing after each of his six walks this series – including one intentional pass.
But the atmosphere was nothing like the electric current that charged through Yankee Stadium last week.
During every Judge at-bat in the Bronx, fans stood during his entire plate appearance, aiming cellphone cameras towards home plate and chanting “MV-P” but going eerily silent just before each pitch.
“Everyone’s on the edge of their seat (with) all their focus and energy” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said then of the crowd’s hush. “And that’s shown up in silence (by) 40-plus thousand people. Because you don’t want to miss something.”
BEST YEAR EVER? Aaron Judge chases Triple Crown with 60+ home runs
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In 1961, Maris vaulted past Ruth for the Major League single-season record, which now belongs to Barry Bonds.
During his pressure-packed run towards Ruth’s mark, Maris was subjected to critics who pointed to Ruth having set the MLB mark of 60 homers in a 154-game season as opposed to the modern 162-game schedule.
Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were superstars during MLB’s so-called Steroid Era, linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Now, Judge and Maris rank seventh for the most homers in a single season. The list:
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Bonds: 73 (2001)
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McGwire: 70 (1998)
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Sosa: 66 (1998)
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McGwire: 65 (1999)
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Sosa: 64 (2001)
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Sosa: 63 (1999)
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Maris, Judge: 61 (1961, 2022)
“I don’t think about the numbers,” Judge said recently. “And when you talk about Ruth and Maris and (Mickey) Mantle and all these Yankees greats that did so many great things in this game, you never imagine as a kid getting mentioned with them.
“But it’s an incredible honor. It’s something I don’t take lightly. But we’re not done.”
Judge was speaking solely about the Yankees’ clinching an AL East title with a win Tuesday night and advancing towards the club’s first pennant since 2009.
The 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge is also in direct pursuit of an American League Triple Crown, last accomplished by Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and achieved just twice in Yankees history, by Lou Gehrig in 1934 and Mantle in 1956.
Judge entered Tuesday night’s game leading the AL with a .314 batting average, just ahead of Boston’s Xander Bogaerts and Minnesota’s Luis Arraez at .313.
“It’s his season,” said Anthony Rizzo, among several Yankees who believe Judge is the clear-cut AL MVP choice over the Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, having another incredible year as a two-way All-Star, but on a team hopelessly out of contention.
“(Judge) is just having a special season.”
Since Aug. 5, Judge has played in every Yankees game, and he has batted leadoff in each of the last 17 games.
“It started out as a need,” Boone said of placing Judge atop a compromised lineup, due to injuries. “But as we’ve gotten whole here, it’s continued to make sense.”
Boone recently dubbed Judge as having “a season for the ages,” and the best offensive season the Yankees manager has personally witnessed.
“He’s handled it perfectly,” Boone said of the attention as Judge chased Maris’ mark, in a free agent walk year that began with the slugger turning down a $213.5 million, seven-year contract extension.
“(Being) a great teammate” and going “out there and trying to win” have been Judge’s stated goals all year.
“When that’s your sincere focus, it helps keep the game simple,” Boone said. “And he does a great job at that.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Aaron Judge’s 61st home run ties American League, Yankee records