Aaron Judge’s Yankees teammates were ready to celebrate.
As Judge sent a ball flying to deep left field in the first inning of the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Rangers in Arlington, many of Judge’s teammates got up on the railing or held their arms in the air, anticipating that Judge had finally broken the record. The Yankees then came pouring out of the dugout, jumping in jubilation after Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris’ 61-year-old franchise and American League record.
The 30-year-old Judge had his teammates waiting for him right near home plate as he scored, getting hugs and handshakes on his way back into the dugout.
The home run snapped a five-game homerless drought for Judge.
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After Judge hit his 61st home run in Toronto on Sept. 28 to tie Maris, he expressed his appreciation for his teammates during a postgame interview on YES Network.
“Seeing the love from my teammates, the way I show up to work every single day, I do what I do for them,” Judge said. “Being able to share that moment with them … it’s tough to describe right now.”
After hitting his 62nd home run Tuesday night, Judge got one more at-bat in the second, striking out. Once Judge took right field for the bottom of the inning, Yankees manager Aaron Boone removed Judge from the game, getting him an ovation as he left the field — and some extra rest, as he had made his 55th consecutive start without a day off.
