Aaron Judge not worried about Shohei Ohtani chasing HR record

The New York Yankees lost their fourth straight game with a 7-3 defeat against Ohtani's Los Angeles Angels. They wrapped up their road trip 1-5 out of the All-Star break to move into sole possession of last place in the AL East.

Judge was specifically asked about Ohtani's chances of breaking his AL single-season home run record that he set in 2022.

"Records are meant to be broken. It’s just a record," the Yankees slugger said, per USA Today Network baseball writer Pete Caldera. "I’m excited about what he’s done so far."

While Judge has missed nearly half of New York's 97 games this season due to multiple injuries, Ohtani has played in 95 of the Angels' first 97 contests. "Showtime" is running away with his second AL MVP and leads MLB in home runs (35), slugging percentage (.678), OPS (1.075), total bases (246) and triples (seven).

Ohtani entered Wednesday on pace to finish the campaign with 59 dingers. He went 0-for-1 with four walks and two runs scored in the series finale against the Yankees.

It took 61 years for anybody to pass Roger Maris' AL single-season home run record of 61, and although there are still over two months left in the season, Ohtani is starting to create chatter.

"I’ve still got quite a few years left in this game, so if he breaks it, then I’ll... go out there and try to do something special, but I’m not too concerned about it right now," Judge said. "I’m always wishing him the best, I’m always excited to see him (perform). I’m not too worried about the record."

Despite playing in only 49 games this year, the reigning AL MVP still leads New York in home runs (19) and RBIs (40).