Yankees captain Aaron Judge is on the doorstep of a milestone. With his next dinger, he’ll reach 300 for his career, and he’ll also be the fastest player in MLB history to reach that milestone in terms of games played. Late Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner’s days of holding onto that mark are numbered .
I watched all 299 of Judge’s home runs (thank you, Baseball Savant), with the goal of finding the 10 most aesthetically pleasing dingers of Judge’s career. To be clear , I’m not talking about his most important, clutch, or record-breaking milestone moonshots; the criteria exclusively involves the most rewatchable and visually-pleasing home runs. Such rundowns are definitely available elsewhere! His homer in his first at-bat , his walk-off shot off Jordan Romano, No.
62 , and more are all absolutely enjoyable. These are just the 10 that jumped out to me. For this batch, I made sure to include a variety of types of home runs and spread out the time frame out so we see a gradually development in how Judge’s swing has changed throughout his time in The Show.
I didn’t want to just list his 10 longest home runs; I tried to incorporate other factors like the coolness of the swing, the quality of contact off the bat, and whether the trajectory was interesting. I also considered how the home run played on television, whether the camera could follow the ball, the announcer’s reaction, cutaways of fans, and so on. It’s not super deep.
So away we go with the 10 of the most aesthetically pleasing home runs of the captain’s career to date. HR No. 4 : Solo home run off José De León ( Dodgers ) We need one of Judge as a still-raw Baby Bomber back in 2016.
With the Yankees waving the white flag by the Trade Deadline of that year, he was called up to the majors on August 17th of that year along with Tyler Austin, part of the corresponding move of unconditionally releasing Alex Rodriguez. While fellow rookie Gary Sánchez was looking like the next Mike Piazza in the closing months of the season, Judge took his lumps in his first glimpse of the bigs, striking out 45 percent of the time in 95 plate appearances. However, this rocket (as well as his first) gave us a preview of what would become the norm.
It’s crazy to see how different his stance was back then. The contact was smooth and the swing was crisp and compact. HR No.
4 : Solo homer off Antonio Bastardo (Pirates) With underwhelming results in his 27 games in 2016, Judge burst out of the gate tearing the cover off the ball, swatting 10 home runs in April to set the stage for his Rookie of the Year campaign. Among a few worthy candidates from that month, I chose this home run because of the swing. It is both violent and beautiful.
I love how the ball exploded off the bat here. Some of Judge’s swings on deep moonshots seem effortless and can be a bit deceptive regarding how far the ball actually goes just from looking at the swing. However, with this one, you could tell from the ball’s projection off the bat that it was a rocket.
HR No. 36 : Three-run homer off Andrew Moore (Mariners), scoring Brett Gardner and Gary Sánchez Here is another one from Judge’s record-breaking 52-homer 2017 rookie campaign. This cutter, a batting-practice 76.
3-mph pitch, was right in the middle of the zone, and Judge lifted it for a shot nearly soared out of what was then named Safeco Field. It was a gorgeous uppercut swing, and the ball went so far that it appeared to stump Statcast, with no distance recorded for the monster homer. However, seeing it land at the very back of the third deck is a better tribute than any mere measurement could offer.
Play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco’s excitement on the call adds about 10 percent to the experience. HR No. 61 : Solo homer off Tyler Clippard (Blue Jays) For a ball hit so high, it is easy to follow on video.
I enjoyed watching this one sail through the night sky for an extended period. Michael Kay had to hold his singing note for a few extra seconds on the call. Clippard’s shaking head reaction shot as Judge rounded the bases was similar to many I saw while watching all these Aaron Judge home runs.
There are few mistakes with more outsized repercussions than an MLB pitcher throwing a pitch down the middle to Aaron Judge. HR No. 96 : Solo homer off Joakim Soria (Athletics) This one has a great crack-of-the-bat sound, and Judge’s compact swing produced a 116-mph exit velocity.
Another fun element of this home run is how it confused the surrounding fans as they searched for it after landing and bouncing off the concrete. This home run broke up a slump. After missing a chunk of the spring and early summer with an oblique strain, he struggled in late July and early August.
This long ball helped him turn things around, as he went on a stretch of hitting six homers to close out August. HR No. 116 : Two-run homer off Matt Barnes ( Red Sox ), scoring DJ LeMahieu As much as we would all like to limit 2020 flashbacks, a Judge blast against the Red Sox should be an exception.
He swatted this 468-footer with the ease of a smooth golf swing. I am reminded with this homer how the echo of the bat sound was so different in an empty stadium. Note the audio levels breaking up on ESPN’s call as part of the time capsule of this 2020 homer.
This was Judge’s second home run of the night and helped secure the comeback victory over the Red Sox in one of the abbreviated season’s more memorable games. HR No. 144 : Two-run homer off Liam Hendricks ( White Sox ), scoring Tyler Wade Part of the beauty of this one is that I have no idea where the ball landed (Statcast’s Hawkeye system was not set for the Field of Dreams Game) or how far it went, but watching it get lost in the Iowa night sky makes it special.
It was Judge’s second bomb of the game, and the homer could have been a career highlight if not for the White Sox rallying in the bottom of the ninth off Zack Britton. HR No. 167 : Solo homer off Alek Manoah (Blue Jays) The home run, on its own merits, was spectacular.
Judge perfectly connected with a pitch in the middle of the plate and launched it to the second deck. However, the amazing shot of the kid, later identified as Derek Rodriguez , embracing the Blue Jays fan Mike Lanzillotta, who gave him the home run ball, adds to the moment. The two had the opportunity to meet Aaron Judge the next day, putting the icing on the cake of this great dinger.
HR No. 219 : Two-run homer off Tim Mayza (Blue Jays), scoring Aaron Hicks With a 117-mph exit velocity, this homer was an absolute bullet line drive that scorched off his bat. It also happened to be Judge’s 61st home run of the season, tying Roger Maris’ American League record with the late legend’s son beaming alongside Judge’s mother, Patty.
Judge played the milestone cool as he trotted around the bases, but he let out an enormous smile as he headed for home and saw his teammates and coaches. Just a few days later, the record was his for good. HR No.
268 : Solo homer off Pablo López (Twins) There is something about seeing a long windup from López and then Judge subsequently barreling it straight to the third deck that adds to the visual of the 467-foot home run. Additionally, the young child in disbelief, jumping up and down and screaming in pure glee, is incredibly wholesome. HR No.
279 : Solo homer off Gavin Stone (Dodgers) We have looked at a lot of no-doubt blasts; let’s finish with one of his sharpest line-drive homers. This one had just enough juice to squeak into the stands. Long blasts are always exciting, but home runs that come from a 19-degree launch angle also showcase Judge’s brute strength and his ability to hit a variety of impressive homers.
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