BALTIMORE — Aaron Judge set a franchise record for the New York Yankees on Saturday with his 34th home run before the All-Star break.
Roger Maris hit 33 before the break in 1961, the year he finished with a major league record of 61. Judge matched that mark in 2022 and went on to hit 62 homers, breaking what had become an American League full-season mark held by Maris.
Across Major League Baseball, Judge’s 34 homers are the most by a player before the All-Star break since Chris Davis (37) in 2013, and that total is tied with Frank Howard in 1969 for seventh-most before the break all time, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Juan Soto and Judge hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning against Baltimore, both to center field. Soto’s 426-foot drive gave the Yankees a 5-1 lead, and Judge followed with a towering solo shot that went 431 feet.
Judge reached base all five times he came to the plate in Friday night’s series-opening win at Baltimore. In his first three plate appearances Saturday, he had a walk, a double and a homer.
From an RBI standpoint, Judge’s 85 runs driven in are the most by any player before the break since Miguel Cabrera (95) and Davis (93) in 2013, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
