A year after Aaron Judge broke the 60-homer barrier, Pete Alonso is gearing up to make another run at the milestone.
He entered Saturday with 19 homers in 52 games, a pace of 59 for the season, and said this week, “It would be really cool if it happened.”
Judge will be watching.
“To see what he’s doing now is exciting,’’ Judge said. “It’s good for the game. Him doing his thing with the Mets and hopefully getting there makes baseball better.”
Now that talk has begun around Alonso, who hit 53 homers as a rookie in 2019, which broke Judge’s rookie record of 52, the Yankees right fielder has some advice.
“Keep your blinders on,’’ Judge said. “Don’t look around. He should stay locked in and as focused as he is.”
Judge said he believes Alonso is capable of keeping up that mindset, as well as his current pace.
Aaron Judge circles the bases after hitting a home run for the Yankees on May 23. Getty Images“I know he’s a guy that prepares the right way before a game and before the season,’’ Judge said. “Don’t listen to the noise. People are gonna ask a lot of questions. You have to keep it simple. It’s a long season and you have to try not to get distracted. There’s gonna be a lot of noise if he keeps this up. You just have to do the work.”
Judge’s admiration of Alonso goes back to the first baseman’s rookie season, which is why the Mets star making a run at the milestone wpuld not surprise him.
“He’s always had that in him since that rookie year,’’ Judge said. “He has that type of power and in the last couple of years, he’s developed as a hitter and learned more about his swing and approach and how guys attack him. I’m excited to see what he can do.”
The Mets’ Pete Alonso has 19 home runs this season. Getty ImagesThe two are friendly and speak occasionally in the offseason, since they both have homes in Tampa, although Judge said Alonso hasn’t sought much advice.
“He just congratulated me after last year and now I hope I get to congratulate him on the other end after this season,’’ Judge said. “It would be fun for the city.”






