Fastball

Aaron Judge of New York Yankees Chasing Early-Game Home Run History in 2024

The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon as Aaron Judge continued to close in on some interesting home run history.

Brady Farkas

New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Yankee Stadium on Aug 3.
New York Yankees designated hitter Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Yankee Stadium on Aug 3. / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday afternoon 8-3 at Yankee Stadium. The win was critical for New York, who moved to 66-46 and remained tied for first place in the American League East.

In the win, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 41st home run of the season in the first inning. As he continues to chase his own American League home run record, he's also chasing some more obscure home run history.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Aaron Judge now has 16 first-inning HR in 2024, tied for 3rd-most in a season, behind only:

2001 Alex Rodriguez: 18
1999 Mark McGwire: 17

Tied w/:
2001 Sammy Sosa: 16
1927 Babe Ruth: 16

Any time that you can essentially start off the game with a lead, that's a huge benefit for the Yankees, and it's a luxury that they are afforded often by Judge.

With his 41 homers and 103 RBI, Judge is currently on track to win his second American League MVP Award in the last three years. He's also hitting .321 this season with a 1.154 OPS, proving that he's much more than just a home run hitter. The All-Star is also now just two home runs away from 300 for his career.

The Yankees and Blue Jays will play each other again on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:35 p.m. ET as rookie Yariel Rodriguez pitches for Toronto against Gerrit Cole.

Rodriguez is 1-4 with a 4.31 ERA while Cole is 3-2 with a 5.40.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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