New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge made MLB history when he tied and then broke Mark McGwire's 30-year old record for most home runs by a rookie when he slammed his 49th and 50th home runs in an 11-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Yankee Stadium this afternoon. McGwire hit 49 HR for the Oakland A's in his rookie season in 1987.
After slumping following the All-Star Break, Judge has returned to form slamming 13 home runs this month. Given that the Yankees will reach the post-season either with an AL Wild Card berth or possibly the AL East title, Judge has made a strong case for winning the AL MVP. If Judge were to win this honor he would only become the third rookie do so after Fred Lynn in 1975 and Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.
When you consider all the Yankee who have preceded Judge as rookies - Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra and Jeter, this is a remarkable achievement. It is very nearly Ruthian in stature.
The Yankees right fielder might be the one judge on whom liberals and conservatives can agree, except if they root for the Red Sox.
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