Aaron Judge blasts his 48th home run for Yankees

New York Yankees Center Fielder is once again chasing the 60-home run milestone, just two years after his last attempt. On Thursday, Judge hit his 48th home run of the season, leading off the bottom of the fourth inning in a Major League Baseball (MLB) home game against the Cleveland Guardians.

The Yankees have played 128 games, including their 6-0 victory in Thursday's match. Judge has been averaging a home run every 2.7 games. If he keeps up this pace over the remaining 34 games, he could end the season with 61 home runs.

In 2022, Judge hit 62 home runs, breaking the American League (AL) record of 61 set by former Yankee Roger Maris (1934–1985) in 1961. Despite missing the required number of at-bats last year due to a toe injury, Judge still managed to hit 37 home runs, finishing fourth in the AL.

If Judge manages to hit 60 or more home runs again this season, he will become the first player in MLB history to achieve this milestone twice without the use of performance-enhancing drugs. While Sammy Sosa (56) surpassed 60 home runs three times, and Mark McGwire (61) did so twice, both players have records of using performance-enhancing substances.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com