Judge blasts his way into Yankees all-time top five sluggers

Another day, another Aaron Judge blast, another historic milestone smashed to dust.

And this was arguably one that, before the towering Yankee captain's arrival in "The Show", looked like it might stand, possibly, forever.

Across the honor roll of Yankee sluggers, the franchise's top five has stood unaltered since August 1957. On Tuesday, when home run 359 disappeared into the New York night, that 68-year-old order changed, as Judge replaced the late Hall of Fame catcher Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra at No 5 in the franchise's all-time hit list.

Judge now props up a quintet led by the inimitable Sultan of Swat himself, Babe Ruth, whose 659 may still remain an unassailable target, followed in descending order by Mickey Mantle's 536, Lou Gehrig's 493 and Joe DiMaggio's 361.

If Judge's legacy in Yankee Stadium's Monument Park wasn't already assured, the final month of the 2025 season will certainly cement it.

"Passing Yogi, it's pretty special. All-time great Yankee, what he meant to the organization and even when he was done playing. Being around, the stories we heard. He's the definition of a true Yankee, so anytime you're on a list with a guy like that, it's pretty remarkable," said Judge, in his typically humble fashion, when asked about landing among such rarefied company.

Others were not so reserved in their praise, with Yankees manager Aaron Boone gushing: "It's pretty awesome."

"The last few years, with what Aaron's done in this league, and the seasons he's had, he's been in some rarefied air, obviously.

"There's been these impressive lists, or names that he's up next to, but when you see a career list like that, with this organization, and where he is right now in the center of it, it's pretty awesome."

The big moment came in the first inning in the first game of the Yankees' three-spot homestand against the Detroit Tigers, when Judge, facing a full-count splitter from Casey Mize, caught every stitch of the ball, tattooing it deep to right-center field and into Yankees folklore.

"There it goes... See ya! Home run number three! Five! Nine! He takes sole possession of fifth place, breaking the tie with Yogi Berra," a breathless Michael Kay commentated on Yankees Entertainment Network's live broadcast, as the slugger's 44th homer of the season made its 412-foot journey into the bleachers.

The Yogi Berra Museum congratulated Judge on X, reacting to the changing of the guard with a typical tautological quote issued by the man himself when Johnny Bench broke Berra's catcher's home run record in 1980: "I always thought the record would stand until it was broken."

Berra's granddaughter Lindsey added on the social media platform: "Congrats to Aaron Judge! He's in great Yankees company."

The 177.9 km/h blast took Judge to seven homers in 32 games since returning from the injured list last month, after sustaining a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow.

After an early season slugfest, a June slump in the Yankees offense that bled into July, followed by the injury that kept him out until August, significantly stunted what was shaping up to be another monumental season for Judge, who, at one point, was on pace for at least 60 homers, with a batting average well over .400.

Despite his dramatic fall-off in slugging and average (though he's still hitting .319), Tuesday's milestone will resonate for a long time, and make his 2025 season a singular one, regardless of any other stats.

And he might not be done yet.

The two-time MVP passed Berra in his 1,127th regular-season game. It took DiMaggio 1,736 games to reach his 361.

With 17 regular-season games left this season, it's not unreasonable to assume that the mighty Yankee No 99 could still mash the three additional baseballs required to overtake "Joltin' Joe", too.

mccarthy@chinadaily.com.cn