Yankees' Superstar Closing In on Historic Milestone

One of the Yankees' stars is nearing a career milestone in record time.

Aug 4, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Juan Soto (22) celebrates his solo home run during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays with left fielder Aaron Judge (99) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports | Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The face of the New York Yankees is about to rewrite history yet again.

After hitting his 41st home run of the season over the weekend, outfielder and team captain Aaron Judge has 298 career long balls. He is now just two homers away from becoming the 162nd player to join the 300 home run club.

What sets Judge apart, however, is how quickly he's approaching the mark; he's about to join the club far faster than anyone else.

According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, the four fastest players to hit 300 career homers are former Yankee and three-time AL MVP Alex Rodriguez (1,117 games), two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez (1,096), 2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard (1,093), and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner (1,087, the current record).

When Judge went yard on Saturday against the Toronto Blue Jays, he was playing in his 945th career game. He will play his 947th game Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Angels; if Judge manages to hit two more homers in the Bronx Bombers' remaining 49 games, he will become the first player ever to reach 300 career homers in less than 1,000 career games played. Considering Judge's incredible play this season, it is extremely likely that he'll surpass Kiner's record in over 100 fewer games.

Aaron Judge has 298 HR in 945 career games

if you were wondering…

fewest career games to 300 HR:

Ralph Kiner: 1,087
Ryan Howard: 1,093
Juan Gonzalez: 1,096
Alex Rodriguez: 1,117 https://t.co/XQdRqPEGib

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) August 3, 2024

It is worth mentioning that Judge is steadily seeing fewer good pitches to hit, if he even gets to hit at all; on Sunday, the 6'7" superhuman was intentionally walked three times in five plate appearances, something that teammate Juan Soto wasn't a fan of. Even though Judge is so close to a milestone, his status as the most feared hitter in the league can make reaching the mark deceptively difficult, especially when pitchers actively try to avoid being attached to historic home runs.

The Yankees are currently in the middle of a nine-game homestand, which is their longest of the season; after taking two-of-three against the Blue Jays, they will host the Angels and Texas Rangers for three games each before beginning a six-game road trip. With Judge closing in on history, expect fans to come out in droves over the next six days.