NEW YORK — Aaron Judge blasted his 60th home run of the season Tuesday night, sending a solo blast into the left field bleachers at Yankee Stadium.
In the Yankees' 147th game of the year, Judge became the third Yankee to reach the 60-homer mark, matching Babe Ruth's 1927 total and bringing him one away from Roger Maris' franchise and AL record of 61, set in 1961.
Judge's solo shot came in the ninth inning, off Pittsburgh Pirates closer Wil Crowe, cutting the Pirates' lead to 8-5 on a night when the Yankees' slugging leadoff hitter grounded out twice, walked and struck out in his four previous plate appearances.
And that leadoff clout by Judge - estimated to have traveled 430 feet - started an incredible rally.
Giancarlo Stanton finished it with a walk-off grand slam, sending the Yankees to a 9-8 victory.
It was Stanton's first homer since Sept. 11, during a period where he was in a 2-for-25 slide with 15 strikeouts - including three on Tuesday night.
AARON JUDGE HOME RUN WATCH:Tracking the Yankees slugger in 2022
Judge is just the sixth MLB player with at least 60 homers in a season, accomplished nine times - including Barry Bonds' record 73 homers in 2001 and Mark McGwire's 70 in 1998.
“I would imagine this week is going to be pretty electric at the Stadium,’’ said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, right before the six-game homestand began.
And with Judge also aiming for an AL Triple Crown, “I’ve got to believe it’s right there, on the short list of (being) one of the all-time best seasons,’’ Boone said. “(He’s) not just a slugging DH.’’
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