Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Aaron Judge Clobbers 50th Home Run of 2022 Season

Aaron Judge is still on pace to break Roger Maris' single-season home run record in the American League, eclipsing the 50-homer mark at Angel Stadium.

Max Goodman

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ANAHEIM — Yankees fans dispersed across a sellout crowd at Angel Stadium on Monday night rose to their feet in unison as Aaron Judge sauntered to the plate for the fourth time on Monday night.

Roaring in anticipation, fans in the crowd as far as the eye could see dug into their pockets, scrambling to grab their cell phones and open their cameras, hoping to capture history.

Those giddy fans were greeted with the sheer disappointment of intentional walks during Judge's previous two plate appearances. Angels manager—and former Yankees third base coach—Phil Nevin chose not to pitch to the MVP front-runner with a man in scoring position. 

In the eighth, with the bases empty, Los Angeles finally pitched to Judge. 

That's when the prodigious slugger did what he does best, and has done all season long.

Judge waited patiently on a 1-1 curveball from Angels right-hander Ryan Tepera before clobbering a home run that was gone as soon as it left his bat, his 50th of the 2022 season. Angels center fielder Mike Trout jogged in the direction of the blast, but quickly turned into a spectator, watching—along with the 44,537 fans in attendance in Anaheim—as the baseball caromed high off the rocks beyond the wall in left-center field.

All but a handful professional ballplayers will never come close enough to sniff 50 home runs in a single season. Judge did it before the calendar flipped to September. 

"It's 50 and it's August," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after a 4-3 loss to the Angels. "It's hard to wrap your mind around it, just how incredible a season he's had to this point. The one time they pitch to him tonight, he hits it off the rocks. It's really special what he's doing."

With his 434-foot missile on Monday night, Judge is now the 10th player in MLB history to record multiple 50-home run seasons, joining a list of all-time greats. He's just the third Yankee to accomplish such a feat as well, gaining admission to an exclusive club with Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. 

With 50 home runs in his team's 129th game of the season, Judge is on pace to finish the 2022 season with 63 home runs. He still has some work to do, but he's in prime position to break the American League record of 61 set by Yankees legend Roger Maris back in 1961.

"I'm not gonna [make any predictions], but I think he's gonna do something incredible. He already has," fellow slugger Giancarlo Stanton said.

Even after making history, Judge stuck to his humble ways after the game, deflecting questions about his own personal achievement while focusing on the final score. 

"Just another number," Judge said. "Wish we could have came away with the win."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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