Yankees’ Aaron Judge weighs in on Shohei Ohtani’s home run pace: ‘Records are meant to be broken’
Ohtani has 35 home runs this season
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}New York Yankees star Aaron Judge stole the show in 2022, setting the American League record for home runs in a single season with 62.
Judge passed Roger Maris on Oct. 4, 2022, 61 years after Maris broke Babe Ruth’s AL single-season record.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, #99, looks on from the dugout during a game between the New York Yankees and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 15, 2023 in Denver. (Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nine months later, the baseball world is already discussing Judge’s record being broken.
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Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani entered Wednesday night’s game against the Yankees with a league-leading 35 home runs, on pace to finish the season with 60.
Judge would be perfectly fine if Ohtani got even hotter in MLB’s second half, taking the AL home record away from the Yankees star.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Records are meant to be broken. It's just a record. It would be exciting for the game if he went out there and got 63-plus. So, we’ll see what happens," Judge said Wednesday before the Yankees lost to the Angels.
Ohtani had a torrid month of June, launching 15 home runs and hitting .394 at the plate while posting a 3.26 ERA on the mound.
Shohei Ohtani, #17 of the Los Angeles Angels, hits a home run against the Houston Astros during the ninth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 16, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Monday, Ohtani hit his 35th home run as the Angels came back to take the first game of a three-game series from New York.
"Physically, even like Shohei he can hit 100 home runs, 80 home runs. He’s got that type of talent just like so many other guys in this league, But it’s moments like that, it’s about just mentally being able to block out the noise or lack of noise in those moments," Judge said.
Judge has not played since June 3, when he injured his toe against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Shohei Ohtani, #17 of the Los Angeles Angels, reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the New York Yankees in the seventh inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on July 17, 2023 in Anaheim, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Since the injury, the Yankees have gone into a nosedive, going 15-22 without their star.
New York was swept by the Angels on Wednesday, dropping their fourth game in a row.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We stink right now. We acknowledge that," manager Aaron Boone said. "We've got to be better. We all understand where we are at. We’re seeing some guys make progress and move the needle a little bit and get a little bit healthier, but we still got a ways to go."
The Associated Press contributed to this report