Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Superstar Earns Impressive Honor After Legendary Month

The Yankees' incredible slugger enjoyed one of the greatest months in MLB history.

Joe Najarian

May 31, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates with designated hitter Aaron Judge (right) after defeating the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
May 31, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates with designated hitter Aaron Judge (right) after defeating the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Was there ever any doubt?

Aaron Judge, the heart and soul of the New York Yankees, enjoyed one of the most dominant months in Major League history with a ridiculous .361/.479/.918 slash line, a .564 wOBA, and a 277 wRC+ in May. Unsurprisingly, MLB honored the Yankee captain as the American League's Player of the Month. Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper received the honor for the National League.

The month was a true return to form for Judge, who got off to a somewhat slow start to the year. Before the calendar turned to May, he was only hitting .207 with six home runs, but still maintained an above-average 118 wRC+ with a .340 on-base percentage and .414 slugging percentage. Judge was still getting on base and hitting the ball hard, but it was only a matter of time before he'd get locked in at the plate.

In May, Judge not only settled in, but possibly looked even better than his 2022 self, when he set the American League record by hitting 62 home runs. He was an unstoppable extra-base hit machine, slamming 12 doubles and 14 home runs throughout the month. This included six extra-base hits in a two-game span against the Minnesota Twins (five doubles and a home run) and a four-game home run streak from May 22 to May 25. The Yankee captain and California native concluded his torrid month with a fantastic homecoming series against the San Francisco Giants, his favorite team growing up; playing in the same stadium as childhood heroes Barry Bonds, Jeff Kent, and Rich Aurilla, Judge hit two home runs on May 31 and started his June on the right foot with another homer.

When all is said and done, Judge had 26 extra-base hits in May, breaking Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig's shared franchise record for extra-base hits during that month. It was also the eighth time since the end of World War II that a player had 26 or more extra-base hits in any month, and was the most in a single month by a Yankee since Joe DiMaggio had 31 extra-base hits in July 1937.

Judge is now hitting .288/.417/.658 on the year and leads Major League Baseball with 21 home runs and a 1.075 OPS, while boasting a 198 wRC+ and 4.0 fWAR. Most importantly, Judge's tear coincided with the rest of the lineup putting everything together, and the Yankees rampaged through May by going 21-7.

The Bronx Bombers, as of June 3, have the best record in MLB at 42-19. And right in the middle of that is Aaron Judge.

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Joe Najarian

JOE NAJARIAN

Joe Najarian is a Rutgers University graduate from the Class of 2022. After an eight-month stint with Jersey Sporting News (JSN), covering Rutgers Football, Rutgers Basketball, and Rutgers Baseball, Najarian became a contributing writer on Inside the Pinstripes and Inside the Mets. He additionally writes on Giants Country, FanNation’s site for the New York Giants. Follow Joe on Twitter @JoeNajarian

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