ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his 50th home run of the season Monday night, connecting in the eighth inning for the New York Yankees against the Los Angeles Angels.
With his parents in the stands, the California-born slugger sent a 434-foot solo drive to left-center off reliever Ryan Tepera to trim New York’s deficit to one in a 4-3 loss.
Judge became one of 10 players in major league history with multiple 50-homer seasons. He smashed 52 long balls in 2017, setting a rookie record that was broken two years later when Pete Alonso hit 53 for the New York Mets.
The 6-foot-7 Judge is chasing the single-season Yankees record of 61 home runs established by Roger Maris in 1961.