Aaron Judge’s homer on Sunday wasn’t just his MLB-leading 42nd of the season.
It also brought him to within one of becoming the fastest player ever to hit 300.
No. 299 came in Sunday’s 8-7 win over the Rangers and it came in Judge’s 952nd career game.
Ralph Kiner reached the 300 milestone in his 1,087th game, meaning Judge has nearly a full season’s worth of games to break Kiner’s record, according to Elias.
Judge wasn’t especially interested in looking ahead after Sunday’s win.
“If it comes with a win, it’ll mean something,’’ Judge said. “It’s not what we play for. I just want to put us in a good position.”
His teammates were more descriptive.
“It’s incredible,’’ Giancarlo Stanton said. “He does something special every day. Being able to see most of his career, it’s been fun to watch his evolution. He’s got more in store.”
Stanton is fifth on the 300-homer list, putting up the number in 1,119 games.
The duo of Judge and Soto continued to run roughshod over opposing teams, as they hit back-to-back homers for the fourth time this year, this time in the seventh inning.
Soto reached the 30-homer plateau for the third time in his career and he still found himself somewhat overshadowed by Judge.
“It’s impressive,’’ Soto said of Judge’s prowess. “It’s incredible.”
Aaron Boone called it “remarkable.”
He called Judge and Soto “the aircraft carriers” of the Yankee offense.
With Stanton hitting behind them in the cleanup spot, Boone remains confident the lineup will produce more than just from the top of the order.
And with Stanton homering after Judge was walked intentionally in the fifth, perhaps teams will be less inclined to use the strategy going forward — which could mean more pitches to hit for Judge.
