OAKLAND — Aaron Judge put Shohei Ohtani a little bit farther in the home-run rearview mirror.
The New York Yankees slugger crushed his 55th homer of the season vs. the Oakland A’s at the Coliseum on Sunday.
The home run meant he has three more blasts than Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, whose 52 is the second-most in the majors. On Thursday, Ohtani crushed three home runs, going 6-for-6 with 10 RBIs in a win over the Miami Marlins. Ohtani also homered on Friday.
Judge, a center fielder, seems likely to win the American League MVP award with Ohtani, a designated hitter, possibly on his way winning the National League’s trophy.
Homer No. 55 for No. 99 🫡#ALLRISE pic.twitter.com/6ZEM4cp0oo
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 22, 2024
It was Judge’s second home run in as many days and his fourth of the month. Prior to his blast on Sept. 13, he underwent a 16-game homerless streak — the longest of his career.
Judge’s homer on Sunday was a solo shot that came off A’s starter Joey Estes in the third inning and flew over the wall in center field. It traveled at 110.9 mph and went 407 feet, according to Statcast.
After the homer, Judge was hitting .322 with a career-best 138 RBIs and an MLB-best 1.149 OPS.
Judge grew up in Stockton, Calif. — about a 90-minute drive from the Coliseum, where the 32-year-old grew up attending games with his family. The A’s drafted Judge in the 31st round out of high school in 2010, but he instead chose to attend Fresno State. The Yankees picked him in the first round in 2013.
It was the last game the Yankees will play at the stadium with the A’s leaving the city for Sacramento next year.
Judge set the AL single-season home run record of 62 in 2022.
(Top photo of Aaron Judge: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
