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In 2022, New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge made history when he smashed fellow Yankee Roger Maris' single-season home run record. The star's 62 homers dethroned Maris, who hit 61 homers in 1961.
On account of the momentous season, Judge was named the team's first captain since Derek Jeter. As if that was not enough of an honor, the 6-foot-7 slugger also penned a 9-year deal worth $360, making him the highest-paid position player of all time.
A new kind of slugger, Aaron Judge seems to be able to nearly go yard at will. As such, he has been an offensive superstar for his team, who score nearly twice as much when he is in the lineup.
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"One of my favorite things about researching my upcoming book about Aaron Judge was connecting him to the Roger Maris home run chase of 1961. For example: If you ever wondered what Maris ate the night he hit No. 61, it’s in the book!" - Bryan Hoch
After the Yankees' loss in the ALCS last season to the Houston Astros, Judge was named the 2022 MVP. At the start of the season, many fans believed that Judge would be content to hit 60 again in 2023.
Although Aaron Judge started off with a cool five home runs in April, it was not long until his bat began to heat up. The California native blasted twelve home runs in May, as the Yankees dashed to a 19-10 record.
On June 4, 2023, Judge chased down a ball off of the bat of Los Angeles Dodgers slugger JD Martinez. Although he made the catch, Judge slammed through an outfield gate at Dodger Stadium, breaking his big toe in the process.
"AARON JUDGE MAKES THE CATCH AND ALMOST TAKES THE DOOR WITH HIM" - Talkin' Baseball
As of the time of his designation to the 10-game IL, Judge had a league-leading 19 home runs. However, after being out of the league for nearly three weeks, he has been surpassed at the top of the leaderboard by Los Angeles Angels sensation Shohei Ohtani, who now has 24 jacks of his own.
Aaron Judge can still finish the season with more home runs than anybody
While those within the New York Yankees organization are honestly unsure when Judge will be back in the lineup, he is not out of the race yet.
A hasty return followed by a classic Judge-like summer could propel the big man to the top of the leaderboard once again.
