Through 61 games of the 2024 season, Aaron Judge has been on a tear. In recent days, he even created Yankees history.
The New York Yankees, who missed the playoffs completely the previous season, were predicted by many to have a significant comeback season in 2024. But at least through their first 61 games of the season, the Yankees have exceeded all expectations placed on them.
The Yankees are currently 42-19 on the season, enough for the best record in the Major League Baseball, and they can mostly thank Aaron Judge for how they conducted business in San Francisco. They recently completed a three-game series sweep of the San Francisco Giants, extending their winning streak to five games.
The Yankees’ top of the order caused most of the damage in their 7-5 victory over the Giants on Sunday. Judge had a great night, collecting two hits and two walks in three at-bats.
And thanks to yet another excellent night at the plate, the ace center fielder for the Yankees accomplished a feat in MLB history that no other player has ever accomplished.
According to Yankees Stats on Twitter (X), Aaron Judge became the first player in franchise history to have three home runs, six runs batted in, three walks, and two stolen bases in a single series after leading the Yankees to a series sweep of the Giants.
Being the first player to ever attain those numbers in a series is no small accomplishment, considering the caliber of players who have worn the Yankees’ pinstripes throughout the team’s history.
Even though the standards seem a little arbitrary and the data a little cherry-picked, Judge can nevertheless feel secure in the knowledge that he played a significant role in New York’s outstanding 2024 campaign debut.
Let’s all stand up for Aaron Judge’s incredible campaign.
Following his historic 2022 season, in which he hit 62 home runs in a single season to break the AL record, Aaron Judge signed a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees.
However, he had a somewhat disappointing 2023 campaign. In addition to playing in just 106 games due to injury, his output decreased. Despite finishing with 37 home runs and 75 runs batted in, he only managed a pitiful 4.8 WAR (per Fangraphs) as both his power production and batting average declined by 44 percentage points.
But Judge makes a strong comeback in 2024. Judge’s 4.0 WAR through 61 games is 83 percent of what he produced the previous season. In just 272 plate appearances, he has hit 21 home runs and driven in 47 runs. He is almost raking at his 2022 MVP level, which is much more valuable since that he is playing center field, a much harder position, full-time.
The Yankees are blazing with intensity.
Since the Yankees didn’t have many reliable starting pitchers, Gerrit Cole’s injury before to the 2024 season was a major cause for concern. The main anticipation for the Yankees was that they would be a lot more offensively focused team. And the Yankees’ big hitters have performed admirably most of the time.
They lead the AL in runs scored right now (299), but when they catch up in games played, they’ll shortly fall behind other clubs.
But throughout the 2024 campaign, the Yankees’ arms have been a revelation. Specifically, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt have exceeded expectations greatly, and as a result, the Yankees’ rotation has been five deep.
