Aaron Judge welcomes home run record challenge from Shohei Ohtani
The Yankees' Aaron Judge speaks to reporters before a game against the Angels in Anaheim, Calif., on Wednesday. Credit: AP/Ashley Landis
ANAHEIM, Calif. – Roger Maris’ American League single-season homer record of 61 lasted 61 years, broken at last in 2022 by Aaron Judge, who hit 62.
Judge, who won the AL MVP in a runaway, may end up the league record-holder for only one year.
The Angels Shohei Ohtani, the 2021 AL MVP who is a virtual lock to win the award this season, is on a Judgian-pace, bringing 35 homers into Wednesday’s game against the Yankees.
“Records are meant to be broken,” Judge said before Wednesday’s game. “It would be exciting for the game if he went out and got 63-plus…I still got quite a few years left in this game, so if he breaks it, that’ll give me another opportunity to try to go out there and do something special.”
Judge, who has been out since June 4 with a sprained right big toe, took another small step toward returning Wednesday, running the bases for the first time during his rehab. There still is no timetable for his return.
Hearing from the first-round pick
Shortstop George Lombard Jr., the Yankees’ first-round pick in this month’s draft out of Gulliver Prep in Miami, said it was a “tough” decision to forego the scholarship he had to play at Vanderbilt. Ultimately, however, Lombard Jr. said the call was a “no-brainer.”
“Basically a perfect situation for us,” said Lombard Jr., whose father, George, played six seasons in the big leagues and currently is the Tigers’ bench coach. “That made the decision easier for us.”
Anthony Volpe, the club’s first-round pick in 2019 who also passed on attending Vanderbilt, was among the first in the Yankees' organization to reach out to Lombard Jr.
“That was pretty special of him to do,” Lombard Jr. said.
Catching up
Kyle Higashioka started four of the six games on this trip and, while he's swinging a better bat than Jose Trevino, the latter has also been “beat up,” in the words of Aaron Boone. So much to the point, though the Yankees haven’t said it, don’t be surprised to see Trevino on the IL sooner rather than later.
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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