Pair of MLB superstars are chasing history as season concludes

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge could power their way into another section of the history books.

Judge and Ohtani are on the cusp of hitting 50+ homers in consecutive seasons, with 43 and 48 home runs, respectively. Should they reach that threshold, Judge and Ohtani would be the sixth and seventh players to hit 50+ homers in back-to-back years. 

They would join Babe Ruth (1920-21, 1927-28), Ken Griffey Jr. (1997-98), Mark McGwire (1996-99), Sammy Sosa (1998-2001) and Alex Rodriguez (2001-02).

Judge has already hit 50-plus homers in a season three times. However, he would need to have a bit of a power surge over the final few weeks to reach that threshold again as he is only on pace to hit 49 home runs. He has posted an impressive .321/.443/.656 batting line in 594 plate appearances entering Monday, leading the majors in all three categories. Judge has hit 43 homers and 28 doubles while stealing 11 bases and is considered the favorite for the AL MVP per BetMGM.

Ohtani made history with his first 50-plus HR season, becoming the charter member of the 50-50 club. Although he is not stealing bases at the same clip, he is still providing plenty of power atop the Dodgers' lineup. Ohtani has posted a .279/.389/.612 batting line in 643 plate appearances entering Monday, hitting 48 homers and 20 doubles while stealing 17 bases.

Ohtani and Judge have already slugged their way into MLB history. If they can hit just a few more home runs, they will be part of another impressive group as one of the few hitters to belt 50-plus home runs in consecutive years.