With his 29th Home Run of the season, Aaron Judge is finding himself in the rookie home run stratosphere and not just because he stands 6 foot 7 inches tall. His latest long ball put him in the Yankee record book next to Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio who in 138 games way back in 1936 blasted 29 dingers himself. Judge, by comparison, has played just 81 games this season and barring injury, should pass the man nicknamed the Yankee Clipper. Unsurprisingly he has also been announced as a participant in this year’s All-Star Game as well as the Home Run Derby which will take place at Marlins Park. What is surprising is just how frequently Judge has ejected balls from his personal courtroom after a disappointing cup of coffee stint in the Majors last year ended with him batting a paltry .179 (he is still considered a rookie because he did not surpass the threshold of 130 plate at bats last season).
There are still more home run pantheons to be climbed however as DiMaggio does not hold the American League or Major League Record for rookie home runs. That honor belongs to Mark McGwire who slammed 49 taters in in 1987 for the Oakland Athletics, but before reaching McGwire, the Yankee phenom would also pass the National League mark (although since the Yankees play in the American League the fanfare would be subdued) of 38 rookie round-trippers. That record is jointly held by Wally Berger who did it for the then Boston (now Atlanta) Braves in 1930 and Frank Robinson who tied that mark in 1956 with the Cincinnati Reds. If Judge’s home run pace is extrapolated over a 162 game pace he is projected by ESPN to finish with 57 home runs. Hopefully he can finish with that many, with apologies to the baseball and the stadiums he may dent.
