Aaron Judge added his name to a small group of sluggers on Wednesday night, as the Yankees’ captain launched his 50th home run of the season.
The three-run blast off White Sox reliever Jonathan Cannon ended up in the Yankees’ bullpen and gave the Bombers a 3-1 lead in the second inning. It also gave Judge the fourth 50-homer season of his 10-year career, as he also reached that figure in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
Only three other players in major league history have enjoyed at least four 50-homer seasons: Babe Ruth (1920, 1921, 1927, 1928), Mark McGwire (1996-1999) and Sammy Sosa (1998-2001).
No player has recorded five 50-homer seasons, giving Judge a chance to create his own exclusive club down the road.
Homer No. 50 for No. 99 🫡#AllRise pic.twitter.com/56VqBCDqtl
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 24, 2025
Judge is now the first Yankee with back-to-back 50-homer seasons since Ruth. The league, meanwhile, is wrapping up just the third season ever to feature three or more 50-homer hitters, per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, as the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber and the Mariners’ Cal Raleigh got there before Judge, who missed 10 games with a right flexor stain.
The 2001 season saw Barry Bonds, Luis Gonzalez, Alex Rodriguez and Sosa each hit 50. McGwire, Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr. and Greg Vaughn all hit 50 in 1998.
Judge’s latest 50-homer season could earn him his second straight MVP Award and his third overall, as he also entered Wednesday’s game with a major league-leading .326 average, 1.130 OPS and a 199 wRC+. He’s up to 108 RBI, too.
Raleigh is considered Judge’s primary competition for the hardware, as he has put together a historic offensive season while catching. Raleigh recently broke Mickey Mantle’s single-season record for homers by a switch-hitter; he entered Wednesday with 58 dingers and 121 RBI.
