Aaron Judge One Swing Away From Rewriting Yankees History After 65 Years

It is almost expected. Every season and seemingly every month, Aaron Judge writes his name in the Yankees' history books. Now, he's about to put himself is such rare air that many fans haven't seen this happen in their lifetimes. The Yankees captain is about to do something that hasn’t happened in more than six decades. With his next home run, he’s about to change the Yankees’ all-time leaderboard for the first time since 1960.

With his next homer, Judge will pass Yogi Berra for sole possession of fifth place on the franchise’s career list. That move will push Berra out of the top five altogether, a group that has been untouched since Sept. 24, 1960, when Mickey Mantle’s 319th career blast nudged him past Lou Gehrig.

That’s 65 years of Yankees home run history frozen in place. The names on that board, Ruth, Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Berra, are sacred in the Bronx. They are the permanent roll call of the Yankees' greatest memories.

Judge is now rewriting it.

The current list is Babe Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536), Lou Gehrig (493), Joe DiMaggio (361), and Berra/Judge tied at 358. Judge’s next swing will give him the spot outright, and from there, DiMaggio is within reach if he stays healthy this season.

What makes this moment so striking is how quickly Judge got here. He’s only in his ninth season, and injuries have cost him chunks of time. Even so, his 62-homer season in 2022 and his steady pace around 40 per year have brought him into the company of legends.

Mantle had Gehrig in his sights. Judge now has Gehrig and Mantle in his.

The Yankees’ all-time home run list is supposed to be the most hallowed in baseball. For 65 years, the top five never budged. With one more swing, Aaron Judge joins the legends.