New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Aug. 19. Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

Aaron Judge Joins Elite Group of Sluggers in Baseball History with Latest Blast

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 8:11 AM ET

The New York Yankees routed the Tampa Bay Rays 13-3 on Tuesday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla.

With the win, New York is 68-57, and they've taken over the top wild card spot in the American League. They are one game ahead of both the Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox, though they are two games ahead of both in the loss column. Both of them are 68-59. Seattle lost to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday while Boston lost in extra innings against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Yankees utilized the long ball in a big way, hitting a whopping eight home runs in all. Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton each had two, while Ben Rice, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Aaron Judge, and Jose Caballero each had one.

For Judge, it was his 40th of the season, and put him in an elite group in baseball history, according to Grey Harvey of @OptaSTATS:

Players in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year, Multiple MVPs & have 4 seasons with 40+ HR in their career:

Aaron Judge
Shohei Ohtani
Albert Pujols
Willie Mays

That’s it.

Players in MLB history to win Rookie of the Year, Multiple MVPs & have 4 seasons with 40+ HR in their career:

Aaron Judge
Shohei Ohtani
Albert Pujols
Willie Mays

That’s it. pic.twitter.com/sGcIg7L8pG
— Greg Harvey (@BetweenTheNums) August 20, 2025

Given that Mays is a Hall of Famer, and Pujols and Ohtani will be Hall of Famers, that's quite the list for Judge to be a part of.

He is angling for this third American League MVP award this season and is now hitting .333. He has 92 RBIs despite missing some time for a lingering arm injury.

Now 33, Judge has 355 career home runs to go along with 808 RBIs.

The Yankees and Rays will play again on Wednesday with first pitch coming at 7:35 p.m. ET. Yankees rookie Cam Schlittler will take the ball against veteran righty Drew Rasmussen.

Schlittler, who has a fastball upwards of 97 mph, has gone 1-2 with a 3.94 ERA. Rasmussen, finally healthy, has become one of the top pitchers in the American League. He's 10-5 with a 2.60 ERA.

The Rays are 61-65 on the season and in fourth place in the American League East.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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