Yankees’ Aaron Judge Hits 300th Career Home Run, Becomes 162nd Player to Achieve Milestone
Aaron Judge, the star slugger for the New York Yankees, made history on Wednesday night by hitting his 300th career home run. The milestone arrived in the top of the eighth inning, as Judge launched a 94 mph sinker from Chicago White Sox reliever Chad Kuhl into the bullpen beyond the left-field wall, extending the Yankees’ lead to 9-2 in a 10-2 win.
Judge’s achievement is all the more impressive considering he reached the mark in just 954 games, the fewest in MLB history. The previous fastest to reach 300 was Ralph Kiner, who did it in 1,087 games. Judge’s 300th home run is also his MLB-best 43rd of the season, and he leads the majors with 42 home runs, 108 RBI, 101 walks, a.466 on-base percentage, and a.699 slugging average.
The 30-year-old Judge surpassed Yankees legend Babe Ruth, who reached 300 home runs in 3,830 at-bats. Judge now ranks seventh all-time in Yankees home-run history, behind Alex Rodriguez (351), Yogi Berra (358), Joe DiMaggio (361), Lou Gehrig (493), Mickey Mantle (536), and Ruth (659).
Among active players, Judge trails teammate Giancarlo Stanton, who has 462 homers in his career. That puts 12 current players ahead of him, including teammates Anthony Rizzo (303), Andrew McCutchen (315), Carlos Santana (316), J.D. Martinez (327), Manny Machado (331), Bryce Harper (332), Nolan Arenado (336), Freddie Freeman (338), Joey Votto (356), Paul Goldschmidt (358), and Mike Trout (378).
Judge is in his ninth season with the Yankees, after making his debut in 2016. In his first full MLB season, he won AL Rookie of the Year and finished second in AL MVP voting. In 2022, Judge set the AL single-season home run record with 62.
The Yankees’ slugger is putting up another award-caliber season, and with his 300th home run, he’s solidifying his place among the all-time greats.
