Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits 50th, 51st home runs of 2024 season

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 50th and 51st home runs of the season on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. In the first inning, pitcher Austin Gomber spun an 0–2 slider on the outside part of the plate, and Judge launched it to center field to give the Yankees a 2–1 lead.

Judge, 32, has reached the 50-home-run mark for the third time in his career. He last did so in 2022, when he set the single-season American League home run record with 62 and won AL MVP.

The nine-year veteran added his 51st home run in the seventh inning Sunday as part of three consecutive homers from Juan Soto, Judge and Giancarlo Stanton off Rockies reliever Jeff Criswell in an eventual 10–3 win over Colorado.

It was in his first full season with the Yankees in 2017 that Judge first hit 50 home runs — a season that included making the AL All-Star team, winning AL Rookie of the Year, leading the AL in home runs and winning a Silver Slugger Award.

Judge's 2024 season has set him up to be the favorite for his second AL MVP award and potentially MLB's first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera in 2012 and only the second since 1967.

Judge currently leads all players in home runs (51) and RBI (122) and is second in batting average (.334). Only Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals (.347) is keeping the Yankees star from leading MLB in all three categories.

With 32 games to play in the regular season, Judge is primed to hit 60 home runs for the second time in his career. He already joined Babe Ruth and Roger Maris by reaching the 60-homer mark in a single season, but should he do it again, he would be the first Yankee to hit that many homers in multiple seasons.

Earlier this month, Judge became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 300 career home runs when he hit the milestone in 954 games. Judge also surpassed Yankees legend Babe Ruth by getting to 300 homers in 3,428 career at-bats. Ruth reached the number in 3,830 at-bats.