Aaron Judge has again etched his name in the record books.
The leader of Yankees declined his first career -Batting title on Sunday afternoon and ended the year and hit .331 -which led the Majors with 20 points -to deal with 53 home runs, which could be another MVP season.
“I just try to do my job, that’s it,” said Judge after 1-out-4 in Sunday’s 3-2 victory over the Orioles. “It’s special, but more work to do.”
Judge only became the third player in the MLB history who hit at least 50 home runs and won a Batting title in the same season, joined Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx. His 53 home runs are most of every player who has won a Batting title.
Aaron Boone presented a game ball after the victory and mentioned names such as Tony Gwynn, Rod Carew and Wade Boggs, and told him he was now in that company.
“Those are legends of the game that will be discussed forever,” said Judge. “Getting the chance to be with that group is something that I don’t take lightly.”
Judge secured the title by .374 to hit his last 30 games when he came back in shape after coming back from a FlexorTam that cost him 10 games.
“Quite cool to see him finish the way he did,” said Boone. “After he went to the IL, a little shouted – according to his standards – during the first few weeks when he returned from the IL. He really helped us to carry the piece this last month. Excited for him.”
Judge became the first Yankee to win a Batting title since DJ Lemahieu-Die he had already received a text from Postgame-in the Covised 2020 season and the first Yankee to be in a full season since Bernie Williams in 1998.
Whether Judge did enough to ward Mariners -Catcher Cal Raleigh before the AL MVP will be announced in November.
And before that time, he loomed an important October after too many play-off runs when his regular seasonal flat did not go to the play-offs.
But for the time being he ended the year with a 1,145 OPS-131 points higher than the closest Hitter, Shohei Ohtani while he only became the fifth player in the expansion age to lead the Majors in stroke average, on-base percentage (.457) and Slug percentage (.688).
Judge is no stranger to write history with his slugging, but becoming a battle champion is a particularly meaningful achievement for him because of how much he appreciates the stroke average in a sport that has largely devalued it over the years.
To explain why, Judge be on the fourth inning on Sunday, when he led with a single and eventually came to score the draw on another single by Giancarlo Stanton.
“If I try to do damage or do something else outside, I don’t start a small rally and I help the team,” he said. “So I just think that trying a good batter is contagious, it is contagious. One hit leads to another and it is equal to winning more.”
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