Aaron Judge failed to hit his 62nd dinger in the Bronx, but the Yankees slugger still has a few games left to reset the franchise and American League single-season home run records.
Sunday was New York's final regular-season game at Yankee Stadium this year. Judge struck out three times and walked in a 3-1 loss to the Orioles. Most importantly to those in attendance, he did not surpass Roger Maris, who hit 61 home runs in 1961.
Judge, who hit his 61st dinger on Sept. 28 in Toronto, admitted that it would have been cool to hit the record-breaking blast at home. But he added that the chase will continue, as the Yankees still have four regular-season games left in Texas.
“It’d be nice to hit it at home and do something special like that for the home fans, but at the end of the day, I’ve got a job to do,” Judge said. “I’ve got at-bats getting ready for the postseason. It didn’t happen [at Yankee Stadium], but the season’s not over yet.”
Fans couldn't take their eyes off Judge during each of the Yankees' last two homestands. With milestone home runs a possibility, fans booed when pitchers walked the slugger and even groaned at times when Judge produced a result other than a longball — even if it was a positive outcome.
“It would have been amazing, but it’s really hard to hit a home run,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted. “A lot of things have to sync up for even the greatest of the great to go deep. So, obviously, it would have been great here, but we move on.”
The Yankees will play four games against the Rangers between Monday and Wednesday to conclude their regular season. New York has secured a first-round bye in the postseason and will resume play with the ALDS, which begins Oct. 11.
These games in Texas don't mean much to the Yankees outside of Judge's home run chase, but he hopes to play each day. However, he may not play both games of Tuesday's doubleheader.
"We've got quite a few days off after the season for the wild card [round] and leading up to the 'DS," Judge said. "So that's when I'll kind of rest, right there."
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