NEW YORK — Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black knew what he was talking about. Black played with all-time home run leader Barry Bonds in 1993 and 1994 in San Francisco.
“I saw Barry in his prime,” Black said.
Then he turned the conversation toward Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who hammered his 50th and 51st home runs of the season against Black’s club Sunday as the Yankees went on to a 10-3 victory at Yankee Stadium.
“They’re probably not quite to that level of performance” of Bonds, Black said, “but Ohtani and Judge are sort of right there.”
Minutes later, on the other side of the stadium in the Yankees’ clubhouse, the talk of Judge and Bonds revved up again.
Bonds’ single-season home run record of 73 has stood since 2001.
Could Judge surpass it at some point in his career?
“If there’s any guy in the league who can do it,” right fielder Juan Soto said, “it’s going to be him.”
When asked the same question, Giancarlo Stanton offered a flat answer: “Yeah.”
“I’m not going to put a limit on what Aaron Judge can do,” manager Aaron Boone said.
After Sunday’s game, Judge was on pace to hit 63 home runs — one more than the American League single-season record he set in 2022. Back then, he snapped the record of 61 that Yankees great Roger Maris set in 1961.
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Judge hit No. 50 in the first inning off Rockies starting pitcher Austin Gomber and No. 51 in the seventh as part of back-to-back-to-back shots with Soto and Stanton off rookie Jeff Criswell, who was pitching in just his second MLB game and had never given up a single home run in the majors before Sunday.
Judge has been on a tear. He’s crushed seven home runs in his last six games, nine in his last 10 games and 19 in his last 36 games. He’s also reached base in each of his last 15 games.
“One of the best players in the game,” Black said.
In 2022, Judge hit his 51st home run Aug. 30. This year, he did it Aug. 25 and the Yankees had 31 games remaining after Sunday.
Judge became the fifth player in MLB history to hit at least 50 homers in three separate seasons, joining Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. He’s also vying to be the third hitter to record multiple seasons with at least 60 home runs, joining Sosa and McGwire. He’d be the only player in that category who hadn’t been tied to performance-enhancing drugs.
Judge hit just six home runs through April while posting a .207 batting average. Then he changed his swing and went on a tear that hasn’t stopped.
“That tells you it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Soto said. “Everybody was worrying about him in the beginning. I didn’t worry about (him), not one bit. Knowing how great he is and it’s like you say, it’s crazy to see a guy hit a homer day after day. It’s incredible. I think I never see somebody hit so many homers so consistent. It’s great to have him behind (me).”
“It’s unreal,” Stanton said. “Like I said, he does something special every day, and you almost take for granted how good he’s been, what a staple he’s been for our offense and our team in general.”
This season, Judge has hit a home run every nine at-bats. In Bonds’ historic season, he clubbed a homer every 6.5 at-bats. With just a month remaining, Judge would have to seriously pick up the pace if he wanted to break the MLB single-season record.
“Times change,” said Stanton, who hit a majors-best 59 homers in his MVP 2017 season. “The game changes. It’s such a far-reaching number. But before that, so was 60. Then 70. It can be done. At the pace he’s going, he’s able to do it for sure. It’s just a matter of putting it together.”
“Seven-three is such a massive number,” Boone said. “I don’t know. But then again, records are made to be broken. That’s one of the great things about our sport.”
Judge’s 62 bombs in 2022 ranked as just the seventh-highest total of all time. McGwire hit 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999. Sosa hit 66 in 1998, 64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999.
But Judge hasn’t been a one-trick pony. He also leads MLB in OPS (1.201), RBIs (122) and on-base percentage (.465). His .333 batting average was second in the majors behind the Kansas City Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. at .347.
But resetting the AL record might well be within reach for Judge. In 2022, he finished August with 51 home runs and hit 11 in September.
When lightheartedly pressed for a number on how many homers Judge could hit, Boone said, “A lot.”
“I know that’s not necessarily his focus or his goal,” the manager said. “He’s trying to have the best at-bats and help us win the championship.”
Judge said he tries not to think about how many home runs he’s hit. His 308 career home runs are the most of any player through their first 964 career games in MLB history, with Philadelphia Phillies great Ryan Howard second at 274.
“I don’t think that really helps anybody if I’m going up there and trying to hit a homer,” he said. “I got to this point trying to be a good hitter and be a good teammate. So that’s what I’m going to try to do. If I do that, we’re going to look up at the end of the year and I think the numbers will be where they’re supposed to be.”
Where are the numbers supposed to be?
“We’ll see,” he said.
(Photo: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)