Aaron Judge Reaches Historical Milestone
For a considerable period, teams have exercised extreme caution when facing Aaron Judge. Opposing managers frequently opted to signal for an intentional walk, preferring to challenge anyone but the Yankees’ sensational slugger who has been in exceptional form for months.
Wednesday night brought an unexpected twist and a momentous occasion.
Aaron Judge blasted his 300th home run as the Yankees secured a 10-2 victory over the White Sox. The intentional walk had been given to Juan Soto, perhaps not wanting to face the .333 batting average or the 1.174 OPS of Judge. Nonetheless, Judge proceeded to demolish an inside sinker thrown by righty reliever Chad Kuhl, sending a 361-foot rocket over the fence and marking his 43rd home run of the season.
Judge achieved his 300th career homer faster than anyone in MLB history, doing so in merely 955 games and 3,431 at-bats, surpassing legendary figures like Ralph Kiner and Babe Ruth.
Soto’s Strategic Walk Led to Judge’s Explosive Performance
The decision to intentionally walk Juan Soto in order to face Aaron Judge confused many within the Yankees dugout. With a 6-2 lead in the eighth inning, one out, and a runner at second base, the White Sox decided to walk Soto, who had been on a home run spree himself. This was Soto’s first intentional walk of the season—likely because Judge was looming behind him.
Even Yankees manager Aaron Boone was taken by surprise. “Wow… but then you kind of want to see what’s going to happen now,” he said with a grin. Unlike the rest, Judge appeared unfazed by the decision. “You guys all saw how he was swinging the bat this week,” he noted about Soto. “It makes sense.”
The ball from Judge’s historic home run landed in the White Sox bullpen, making it simple for Yankees security to retrieve it. Judge plans to gift this cherished ball to his wife, Sam.
Adding to his impressive resume, the 32-year-old who already set the American League single-season record with 62 home runs in 2022 and the MLB rookie record with 52 in 2017, is on course for another strong season. Judge, a favorite for a second MVP award, concluded the night by improving his batting average to .333, showing why he’s a central figure in the Yankees’ efforts.
Judge’s teammate Juan Soto expressed his admiration, saying he hopes Judge can one day break Barry Bonds’ career home run record of 762, believing he has the potential to do so if he stays healthy.
Yankees Rally and Create Momentum
Before Judge’s monumental moment, the Yankees were trailing 2-1 in the seventh. Oswaldo Cabrera set the stage by scoring the tying run from second base on a sacrifice fly caught by Dominic Fletcher in a challenging play. Soto’s walk and Judge’s double then set up Austin Wells for a two-out, two-run single, giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead and setting the celebratory mood for the night.
“It’s incredible,” Boone reflected. “We almost talk about it every night, seeing what him and Juan are doing. It’s not something you maybe ever see—two guys doing it like that, and what Aaron’s doing, it’s a select few in the history of the game that you start talking about these seasons he’s having. Just a great player and great leader and everyone’s really pumped in there [the clubhouse] that he got that done.”
