Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge’s incredible season continued with a bang on Tuesday (AEST), as he smashed his 50th home run of the year – joining an incredible elite club in the process.
The 30-year-old got a juicy curveball from Angels reliever Ryan Tepera in the eighth inning, and dispatched it 434 feet to dead centre at Angel Stadium.
With that, he became the first player to reach a half century of long balls since he himself achieved that feat five years’ ago – and only he and former Baltimore Orioles first baseman Chris Davis have reached a half-century in the past decade.
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Judge joins the legendary Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle as the only Yankees players to ever record multiple seasons with 50-plus homers.
The 201cm tall slugger is the runaway leader for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, so it was somewhat poetic that he reached this milestone against the Angels, who boast Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani, the only other remotely credible candidate for the MVP trophy.
He rejected a seven-year, $306m contract before the season began – taking a huge gamble on his own ability.
It’s about to pay off big time.
While Judge is slightly older than previous superstars who’ve been handed massive contracts in recent years, he’s unlikely to slow down any time soon.
There were reports that he was chasing a deal worth more than $400 million – as others, such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Mike Trout have been given.
There’ll be no shortage of suitors if his current club don’t want to meet his asking price, but given the franchise’s deep pockets and the potential riot they’ll have on their hands from fans should Judge walk, the Yankees may be about to hand him a blank cheque.
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