"I'm just trying to do whatever I can" - Aaron Judge brushes aside individual accolades, focuses on winning despite potential 60 home run season

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is more than just a slugger known to bash pitches out of the park. He is the team captain, and he acts like one. The Yankees are bearing the fruits of an incredible season from Judge, who is on pace to reach 60 home runs this season.

Currently, he has hit 48 home runs and there's a chance he can break his own record of most home runs in a single season in AL. In 2022, he hit 62 home runs. However, for Judge, individual accolades don't matter, as he aspires to win it all this fall. During Thursday's media session, the reporters asked Judge if thoughts crossed his mind about potentially reaching the 60-home run mark this season.

"If it comes with a ring and a lot of fun in the playoffs, then definitely that’d be cool,” Judge said. "I’m just trying to do whatever I can each day to put ourselves in good position to win a ballgame, especially these games against Cleveland, who we’ll definitely see down the road."

Aaron Judge homers again; the Yankees shutout Guardians 6-0

MLB: Aaron Judge during Cleveland Guardians at New York Yankees matchup (Source: Imagn)

Aaron Judge and the Yankees seem already in the mood for the postseason. On Thursday, they clinched a 6-0 shutout victory and swept the Cleveland Guardians.

The Yankees captain continued his home run spree, bashing one more in the win. He went for the right field stand against Gavin Williams in the fourth inning to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. This was his fourth home run against the Guardians in the three-game series.

The Yankees added four runs in the fifth inning. Giancarlo Stanton crushed a three-run home run to take the Yankees up 5-0. The final run came from Ben Rice's sac fly in the eighth inning.

Meanwhile, on the mound, Gerrit Cole threw a gem, pitching six scoreless innings while only allowing one hit. However, he gave up five walks against two strikeouts.

With the win, the Yankees improved to 75-53, while the Guardians dropped to 73-54. Both teams are in a position to make the postseason. For the Yankees, Thursday's victory gives them an edge over the Baltimore Orioles as they increased their division lead to 1.5 games.

They would hope they can maintain or spike this lead in the coming month.