Aaron Judge crushes AL record, home run No. 62 in Game 161

By Deesha Thosar
FOX Sports MLB Writer

There’s everybody else … and then there’s Aaron Judge.

Judge broke a tie with Roger Maris and now owns the American League single-season home run record after crushing his 62nd homer of the year to left field on a 1-1 slider from Rangers right-hander Jesus Tinoco on Tuesday at Globe Life Field. 

The Yankees' slugger tied Maris’ previous AL record of 61 home runs on Sept. 28 in Toronto. Judge was then homerless in five games and 17 at-bats leading up to Tuesday’s big blast. He tied Babe Ruth’s mark of 60 home runs against the Pirates on Sept. 20 at Yankee Stadium.

Judge’s home run No. 62 came from the leadoff spot, in the first inning and on the third pitch of Game 2 of a doubleheader, kicking off the Yankees’ 161st game of the season. Judge became the Yankees’ every-day leadoff hitter in late September so that he would receive as many at-bats and as many chances to make history as possible. 

His record-breaking home run had a scorching 100.2 mph exit velocity and traveled 391 feet to left field. According to Statcast, it would've been a home run in 29 out of 30 ballparks.

As has been the case throughout Judge’s home run chase, his teammates were more outwardly fired up about the historic achievement than he was. Judge has remained humble and humorous when speaking publicly about the possibility of passing Maris, and in the minutes in which Judge took it all in, Tuesday night was no different. He hugged and shook hands with every person in and around the Yankees dugout who wanted to congratulate the big man.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, teammates and members of the coaching staff waited at home plate for Judge as he rounded the bases. While those around him showed intense emotion, clearly thrilled for the heartbeat of their clubhouse, Judge seemed happy but completely calm. His ability to balance all the pressure and the peripherals that accompanied his pursuit of Maris’ record will not go unnoticed. His cool temperament and team-first attitude were present up to the day he smashed No. 62.

Boone removed Judge from the game in the bottom of the second inning, and Judge received a standing ovation from the thousands of fans at Texas as he jogged off the field. Once he completed the odyssey, Judge got even more hugs from his teammates in the dugout. The unbroken smile that he flashed plainly marked his relief and satisfaction. 

Judge’s mom, Patty, was sitting in the stands at Globe Life Field and speaking to the person on her right when Judge’s barrel connected on home run No. 62. She kind of looked like she expected the ball off his bat to be an automatic fly out. After all, she has been traveling to every Yankees game the past few weeks, and in her son's previous 17 at-bats, she had seen him hit balls that just wouldn’t go over the damn fence.

But on Tuesday, as the ball sailed to left field, her expression was apathetic while the ball was in the air. When it finally landed beyond the left-field wall and into the seats, Patty closed her eyes, smiled, leaned back in her seat and let out a long exhale. Then she stood up, raised both of her hands in the air and waved at Judge as he rounded the bases. She was greeted with hugs and high-fives from those around her. She seemed stunned — and relieved, just like her son.

Judge continued grinning long after a lucky fan in left field caught his historic ball. It wasn’t until several minutes after No. 62 that he appeared back to his usual, locked-in self — focusing on his teammates on the basepaths and looking at how many outs were on the board.

"Finally," he seemed to be thinking. Just a few hours earlier, he had smashed his helmet against the cubbies in the dugout in frustration after he popped out to end the fifth inning of Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Rangers. He hadn’t homered since New York’s series finale in Toronto last week. With the regular season wrapping up, he was running out of chances with every game that passed without a long ball.

Then throw in the Triple Crown chase. Judge owns the most home runs (62) and RBIs (131) in Major League Baseball by a wide margin, and he’s second in the AL in batting average. When he hit No. 61 last week, he was tied for first in the AL with Twins infielder Luis Arráez, with both players sporting a .313 average. In the days that followed, Judge’s average dropped slightly and Arráez’s lifted slightly. 

But the Triple Crown chase is still on, and though it seems less attainable than it did a week ago, that's just another reminder of the special season Judge and the Yankees have enjoyed this year.

Judge has carried the Yankees since the All-Star break, and soon he’ll ride that wave into the postseason. After that, he is expected to enter free agency and, well, get paid. A lot. 

The past few weeks, it was becoming more and more difficult to imagine Judge in any uniform besides Yankee pinstripes. Now, from his record-breaking home run to his smile and his team’s reaction, it’s plain to see how much No. 99 means to the franchise. What that might mean for his next contract is still an open question.

For now, though, there’s time for Judge and the Yankees to live in the moment. It just became a historic one.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for the New York Daily News. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.