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Aaron Judge Makes Yankees History Against Rays

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Valdez | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 1:09 AM ET

New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is not only the greatest hitter of his generation, but he's also one of the best in franchise history. The 33-year-old entered Tuesday's bout with the Tampa Bay Rays ranked third on the Yankees' all-time list with a 1.024 OPS and sixth with 355 homers.

Judge is only behind Hall of Famers on those lists, a club he will certainly belong to one day. The two-time AL MVP trails Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in OPS, as well as Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, and Yogi Berra on the home run list.

However, Judge hit his 356th career homer on Tuesday, putting him just two behind Berra for the fifth spot on that list. It was also his 40th of the season, which put him in exclusive company, via MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.

Judge is now the fourth player in Yankees history to hit at least 40 homers in four seasons, joining Ruth (11), Gehrig (five), and Mantle (4). The 6-foot-7-inch, 282-pounder hit 52 in 2017, an AL record 62 in 2022, and 58 in 2024.

Judge's homer was a 429-foot solo shot to center that opened the scoring in the first inning. Cody Bellinger followed up with a 381-foot drive to right, and Giancarlo Stanton then hit a 386-foot homer to right center.

Aaron Judge is just the 4th player in #Yankees history to hit at least 40 HRs in four seasons. He joins Babe Ruth (11), Lou Gehrig (5) and Mickey Mantle (4).
— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) August 20, 2025

Aaron Judge Must Continue Momentum in Playoffs

Although Judge is a prolific regular-season player, his playoff numbers are less flattering. The former AL Rookie of the Year owns a career postseason slash line of .205/.318/.450 with 16 homers and 34 RBI in 58 games.

Judge has to improve in October to truly match the legacies of all-time greats like Ruth, Gehrig, and Mantle. While championships are a team stat, New York could have won in recent years had the California native played better in the biggest moments.

Judge may never win as many as Berra (10 World Series rings), DiMaggio (nine), Mantle (seven), Gehrig (six), or Ruth (four), but he must bring at least one or two titles to the Bronx for the baseball world to put him on par with those players. Luckily, he still has time, as he's showing no signs of slowing down.

Up next for the Yankees is another matchup with the Rays on Wednesday night before hosting the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals. After that, they'll hit the road to face the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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