It has been eight days since New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his historic 60th home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates in a stirring 9-8 victory that ended in a walk-off grand slam by Giancarlo Stanton. Judge has been on the precipice of history for so long that fans have become so antsy in anticipation of the moment where he ties Roger Maris AL-record for most home runs in a season, but the 6'7 slugger has his eyes set on a bigger prize after their latest 5-2 AL East-clinching victory over the Toronto Blue Jays that saw Judge walk four times in five plate appearances.
“I’ll trade four walks for a win every single day,” said Judge, per MLB.com.
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It's this singular focus on winning that makes Aaron Judge such a worthy MVP candidate, especially with how heavily he's lifted the Yankees during the past few months. Judge is not forcing the issue, which is especially crucial when you're chasing history, as he could end up shooting himself on the foot if he sets his mind to solely hitting the balls out of the park. It's this kind of discipline and selectivity that allowed Judge to post an insane .314/.425/.693 slash line in 150 games.
But Judge understands that there are bigger things at stake with the postseason dance looming – a potential World Series title.
“I’ll be a little bit happier maybe at the end of October,” Judge added. “But this is a big moment, especially for a lot of guys in that room that haven’t had a chance to clinch a division. To get a chance to celebrate with them is going to be fun tonight.”
With Aaron Judge set to enter free agency at the end of the season, there is much uncertainty on whether he would choose to stay with the Yankees or not. One thing's for sure – Yankees fans can continue to rely on Judge to give it his all. And whether that means he hits the ball out of the park or he takes his free base, Judge will be alright as long as the Yankees continue their winning ways.
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