Frustration seemed to be setting in for Aaron Judge as his window to break a tie with Roger Maris was closing.
After popping out to end the top of the fifth in Game 1 of the Yankees’ Tuesday doubleheader against the Rangers, Judge returned to the dugout and slammed his helmet as he fell to 0-for-3 in the game.
“Everybody wants to know, oh is he pressing? What’s going on? What’s taking so long? Yes! How could he not be?” Paul O’Neill said of Judge on the YES Network broadcast after he slammed his helmet. “What an incredible position to be in, the whole world is looking at you. Everybody is here to see you hit a homer run. You think he’s thinking about it? Duh, of course he is. How could you not be?
“I think he’s handled the whole thing remarkably well.”
Aaron Judge reacts after making his third out during Game 1 of the Yankees’ doubleheader against the Rangers on Oct. 4, 2022. YES Network“He’s a human being, of course it’s going to get to him,” play-by-play voice Michael Kay added.
Everything to know about Aaron Judge and his chase for the home run record:
That frustration turned to celebration in Game 2 of Tuesday’s doubleheader when Judge finally hit his 62nd home run of the season in the Yankees’ penultimate game.
Judge, 30, had gone five games without a home run since hitting his 61st in Toronto on Sept. 28.
Judge’s bid for the American League Triple Crown may fall short. His average sat at .311 when he was pulled in the second inning of Game 2 of the doubleheader, leaving him five points behind the Twins’ Luis Arraez as of the fourth inning of Minnesota’s game against the White Sox, in which Arraez started 1-for-2. Judge’s 131 RBIs are unlikely to be caught by Jose Ramirez, who entered Tuesday with 122.
