Yankees' Sluggers Could Make MLB History With Rare Home Run Feat

Aaron Judge and Juan Soto could cement themselves in MLB history with a solid final weekend of MLB's regular season.
Sep 17, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates a two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners with designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Sep 17, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates a two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners with designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) during the fourth inning at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Anybody who has been following the New York Yankees this season can tell that Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are putting together truly incredible offensive seasons.

The power both sluggers have produced this season is staggering, and is a major reason why the Yankees are one win away from both winning the AL East and being the AL's No. 1 seed in the impending MLB playoffs.

And a September 26 article from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller illustrates that New York's dynamic duo is on the cusp of something truly special.

"Aaron Judge is leading the majors with 56 home runs.

"Teammate Juan Soto is fourth on that leaderboard with 40 dingers," Miller wrote.

However, both Judge and Soto hit home runs in the Yankees' most recent game, which means they're at 57 and 41 home runs on the season, respectively.

"There's still a chance they'll become the first pair of teammates to combine for at least 100 home runs in a single season since Alex Rodriguez (57) and Rafael Palmeiro (43) mashed a bunch of taters for the Texas Rangers in 2002," Miller added.

In other words, Judge and Soto need to combine for two more home runs in the Yankees' next four regular season games to reach 100 total blasts on the season.

If they do so, they'll become just the 5th teammate in MLB history to accomplish the century mark in home runs, according to a 2017 article from ESPN's Bradford Doolittle.

The four duos who have done so before them are the aforementioned Palmeiro and Rodriguez in 2002 (100 total home runs), Yankees icons Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1927 (107 home runs), San Francisco Giants players Barry Bonds and Rich Aurilia in 2001 (110 home runs; 73 of which came from Bonds), and topping the list is another Yankees duo of Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle in 1961, who combined for 115 home runs.

While Soto and Judge adding themselves to this list would be historic, they're surely more focused on keeping their power numbers up in the postseason.


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Grant Young

GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.