New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is one home run away from history, after posting his historic 60th home run in a thrilling walk-off victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday. With every plate appearance being must-see TV, millions of eyes are on Judge in anticipation of a dinger that would tie Roger Maris' AL-record of 61 homers set in 1961. However, Judge's two hits in the Yankees' latest 14-2 romp over the Pittsburgh Pirates were “mere” doubles, with one even teasingly leaving the yard via a ground rule two-bagger.

In particular, Aaron Judge's ground-rule double in the fifth inning would have disappointed Yankees fans expecting history. Speaking with reporters after the game, Judge revealed that he wasn't quite sure whether the ball he hit was fair or not with how quiet the crowd was.

“I think the second double, I didn't know if it was foul [or not], I didn't hear any cheering, I didn't know what was going on,” Judge said, letting out a smile afterwards.

“Fans packed it out to see us win a ballgame and see some homers. I've gotta cut out this doubles stuff, I guess,” Judge added.

Article Continues Below
More New York Yankees News
New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) reacts after striking out against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. calls out ‘crazy’ Red Sox rookieOwen Crisafulli ·
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the first inning at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge name drops Ken Griffey Jr. in response to Red Sox rookieRexwell Villas ·
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two-run home run against the Boston Red Sox during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge reaches historic MLB realm in unreal effort vs. Red SoxYasmin Edañol ·
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) hits a two-run home run off Hunter Dobbins against the Boston red Sox during the first inning at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees’ Aaron Judge makes Hunter Dobbins pay for blunt NY commentYasmin Edañol ·
image thumbnail
Red Sox manager Alex Cora breaks silence on Rafael Devers’ baserunning vs. YankeesBrayden Haena ·
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Boston red Sox during the first inning at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees’ Paul Goldschmidt shares honest take on Aaron Judge’s MLB statusBrayden Haena ·

The Yankees moved to 90-58 after the victory, which was buoyed by second baseman Gleyber Torres' monster performance that made history more so than Judge's usual batting exploits. Still, it's a bit wild to think about how much Judge has moved the needle in terms of everyone's expectations of him that two doubles count as a disappointing day in the office.

With 14 games left in the season, Aaron Judge just has to stay locked in and healthy, and the AL record for home runs will be his. Some will even argue that Judge will be the rightful home run king once he surpasses Maris, as those above him have been known users of PEDs. Nevertheless, we are in the middle of history, and with Judge approaching free agency after the season, he couldn't have chosen a better year to etch his name into the pantheon of all-time greats.