“See ya! No. 50”: Aaron Judge becomes the 7th player in AL/NL history to reach 50 homers before September

“See ya! No. 50”: Aaron Judge becomes the 7th player in AL/NL history to reach 50 homers before September

Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge crushed the 50th home run of his 2022 season against the Los Angeles Angels’ reliever Ryan Tepera. 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. Aaron Judge blasted a 434-foot missile on Monday night, joining a list of all-time greats.

This is the second time Aaron Judge has reached the astounding feat of smashing 50 home runs, he hit 52 HRs in his Rookie year 2017. Judge is the first to do it since current teammate Giancarlo Stanton with the 2017 Marlins, and the first Yankee since Roger Maris (51) in 1961.

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“I’m not downplaying it, but I just don’t like talking numbers,” Aaron Judge said. “It doesn’t mean anything because we lost. We can talk about numbers and all that kind of stuff when the season’s over with; we can review it. But for right now, the most important thing for me is getting some wins.”

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Kevin Maris, son of Roger Maris, opens up on his feelings as Aaron Judge is set to break father’s HR record

Aaron Judge
Aaron Judge

“It’s always nice to see dad brought back in the public eye a little bit for his accolades in baseball,” said Kevin Maris, one of Roger Maris’ six kids. “He accomplished a lot in the game. We couldn’t be prouder in what he accomplished. Sixty-one is a unique number.”

Kevin would like to see his father hold on to the record. “But [the family] would be excited for [Aaron Judge if] he is able to achieve [the] monumental task,” Kevin added. “It’s something that is a unique record, one of the best in sports. Hitting a baseball is not easy. To accomplish that, you have done it over a season, not just one game or one at-bat.”

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“The pressure that dad had day-in and day-out — New York had a ton of papers back in the day,” Kevin said off Aaron Judge trying to reach his father’s record. “Dad would sit there for hours pinned up in his locker, just giving answers to reporters. They would ask him the same questions day-in and day-out.

“Back then, they didn’t police it like they do now. Nowadays, they give the players about 10 minutes to unwind after the game. Dad didn’t have that luxury. Questions day-in and day-out, they wear on you at some point.”

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