Jul 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) follows through on a solo home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Aaron Judge Makes Rare Yankees History

Originally posted on New York Yankees on SI
By Delilah Bourque | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 12:00 PM ET

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is used to making history. He broke the AL single-season home run record in 2022 with an impressive 62 homers that season, and just earlier this year recorded some statistics that put him in the company of legend Mickey Mantle.

Now, after a dominant 10-3 Yankees victory over the Seattle Mariners, Judge is once again in the history books. The slugger is one of only four players in the modern era of the game to record at least 34 home runs in a teams' first 91 games while also maintaining a batting average at or above .360. The other players to accomplish the feat are Babe Ruth (1930), Jimmie Foxx (1932) and Frank Thomas (1994).

Only four players in the Modern Era have hit 34 HR w/ a .360+ BA over their club's first 91 games in a season, per Yankees:

- Aaron Judge in 2025 (34 HR, .360 BA)
- Frank Thomas in 1994 (34 HR, .375 BA)
- Jimmie Foxx in 1932 (38 HR, .369 BA)
- Babe Ruth in 1930 (35 HR, .365 BA)
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) July 9, 2025

Judge isn't just excellent at hitting home runs and maintaining a high batting average: he's dominant. While Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh takes the number one spot in home runs this season with 36, his other stats pale in comparison to Judge. The Yankees captain leads the league in batting average (.360), on-base percentage (.467), slugging percentage (.738) and OPS (1.205). Only Judge and Raleigh have OPS percentages over 1 out of every single player in the MLB. While Los Angeles Dodgers heavy hitter Shohei Ohtani has more runs scored this season (88) than Judge (82), Judge is the leader in hits (121).

It's all par for the course for the typically-bashful captain. Judge is headed to his seventh All-Star game this month, and received more votes than any other player in the AL, fast tracking him to a starting spot.

In Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Judge recorded both his 34th home run and an RBI, with a batting average of .400 and OPS of 1.400. For a Yankees team that has been struggling for the past month — first to get hits, then from the mound — Judge's performance and leadership is invaluable. Judge has the opportunity to record even more homers and make his team proud in the remaining two games of the Yankees' series against the Mariners from Yankee Stadium.

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