Judge’s fourth-inning homer on Tuesday was his fifth in the last eight games and puts him within 10 of Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League record for home runs in a single season.
The 378-foot drive helped end the Yankees’ three-game losing streak and keeps Judge on track to top 60 homers for the season.
According to MLB, he is already part of an elite group of five Yankees to hit 50 or more home runs in a single season, alongside Maris, Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez and Mickey Mantle.
Andrew Benintendi and Anthony Rizzo also homered against the Angels, but the Yankees’ night was marred by Jameson Taillon’s exit after being hit by a comebacker and sustaining a bruised right forearm.
Taillon’s scans showed no signs of fracture, the Yankees confirmed, and the pitcher went on to pay tribute to Judge hitters this season.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Taillon said. “It’s like every time he’s there he gets the chance to do something special.
“It doesn’t matter what scouting report you have or whether you run your pitch or not. He’s so good that you can make a good pitch and he can still hit it out of the park. It’s special.”
The Yankees wrap up their series against the Angels on Wednesday night in Anaheim.
