Daily Pace Update: Aaron Judge, who has 49 home runs in 129 games with the Yankees, is projected to hit 61.56 home runs this season.
That exact amount will never occur, but what is happening now is historic.
Two seasons after breaking franchise and American League records with 62 home runs, the Yankees superstar is once again chasing a new record, this time of his own.
His quest for RBI No. 63 continues. His 49th came in the sixth inning of a 3-0 win over the Rockies in the Bronx.
As just about everyone in the game will tell you, baseball is built on failure.
That’s not the case for Judge, who hits a home run almost every day.
Friday’s moment came against left-hander Kyle Freeland, who threw a 1-1 fastball that Freeland couldn’t even get to the plate.
But Judge caught what looked like a ball and sent it 388 feet to the left and over the wall for his fifth home run in the past four games.
“The great thing about Aaron is that he doesn’t necessarily feel like he’s in top form right now,” manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees shut out Colorado in the series opener. “He’s just feeling great.”
In 100 games since April 27, Judge is batting .378 with 45 home runs, 24 doubles, 106 RBI and 84 walks.
No player in MLB history, not Babe Ruth, Ted Williams or Barry Bonds, has ever batted .375 or better and hit 45 or more home runs in at least 100 games.
“He’s a great player,” said Rockies manager Bud Black, who managed the Padres during Bonds’ record-breaking streak with the division-rival Giants. “He’s having a Bonds-style season.”
The fearsome Rockies threw to Judge four times, three of which were unscathed, as Judge got out on a double play, then hit a liner to third base for a pop out.
But given enough opportunities, the best hitter in baseball will thrive.
His home run in the sixth inning came as he was the leadoff hitter with the Yankees leading by two runs after the Rockies decided not to issue an intentional walk, which has become increasingly common in recent days.
