Yankees slugger Aaron Judge ties AL record with 61st home run of season

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Aaron Judge sent his long-awaited, historic 61st home run bounding right into the Blue Jays bullpen Wednesday on a memorable night inside Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

Blue Jays fans didn’t get to see their team clinch a playoff spot just yet, as the Yankees beat the Jays 8-3, but they did get to witness the Yankees slugger pulling level with Roger Maris for the American League single-season home run record, a mark set 61 years ago.

However, with Baltimore’s loss to Boston, Toronto’s number to clinch a playoff spot is one game.

Judge had been stuck on No. 60 for seven games, including the first two in this three-game set against Toronto. But he snapped that homerless spell in Wednesday’s series finale in the seventh inning, when he hit a pitch off reliever Tim Mayza into the first deck in left field, and the highly-coveted ball dropped below -- not into the hands of a fan – but into the Jays bullpen.

Toronto’s bullpen coach Matt Buschmann recovered the homerun ball when it dropped, and then Jordan Romano handed it over to Yankees pitcher Zack Britton to forward along to Judge.

“Thankfully I hit it into the Blue Jays bullpen and what I heard from our bullpen guys, was Romano was the guy that kind of handed it over,” said Judge, adding the the Yankees security team now has the ball locked up. “Getting that type of support was a class act move from him -- one of the best in the game. That definitely means a lot. I’ve got to try to find them here and thank him for that, that’s for sure.”

After his homer, the Yankees dugout cleared, and Judge was met with a parade of boisterous hugs from his team. His mother was in Toronto to witness it, as was Roger Maris Jr. The Rogers Centre crowd of some 37,000 – although most pulling for the Jays – stood for a long while to applaud him.

Judge was still in his uniform when he came to his post-game press conference –packed with reporters in the basement of Rogers Centre – with his Mom and Maris Jr. He thanked his mother for a childhood of rides to Little League games, as she offered a thumbs up from the back of the room. He gushed about being associated with a Yankee legend like Maris, and about Maris Jr. for following this journey to Toronto.

Asked if it’s a relief to finally hit it, Judge laughed.

“Definitely some relief, getting to 61,” he said. “You try not to think about it but it creeps into your head.”

Although Maris Jr. has been following Judge and meeting Judge’s family members for nine straight days – first in New York and then Toronto – they waited for the record-tying homer to actually meet and speak. Maris said he’ll continue on the road with Judge now until he hits No.62.

“I mentioned Aaron and I said, “get to New York and hit 62 and knock the top off the stadium,” Maris recollected to the media. “It’s gonna be fun.”

Judge moved past the 60 home runs Babe Ruth hit in 1927, which had stood as the major-league mark until Maris eclipsed it in 1961. All three stars reached those huge numbers playing for the Yankees.

Barry Bonds holds the big-league record of 73 for the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

This was the Yankees’ 155th game of the season, leaving them seven more in the regular season.

Judge’s big night came a day after the Bronx Bombers clinched the AL East title in Toronto on Tuesday, as well as a bye through to the AL Divisional Series. The Yankees had celebrated that, too – in the visitors’ clubhouse at Rogers Centre, and spilled onto Toronto’s field for a jubilant team photo. With the division in hand, locked into the No. 2 playoff seed, the Yankees gave several stars the night off, including Anthony Rizzo, who got to play manager for the night.

Judge was in the lineup, though. He was the biggest story all series, also contending for the Triple Crown, the league lead in batting average, homers and RBIs. In this series, been walked a bunch, even prompting some boos from the Toronto crowd, many eager to witness history. On nearly all those walks against Jays pitchers, Judge patiently battled in full counts as the Jays worked to try and get him out.

“It’s gotta be tough. You know, tying a Yankee in American League record and really not budging from your approach,” said Jays manager John Schneider of Judge. “He’s good hitter having a great year hit the ball extremely hard. It’s a tough guy to Homer off of, and Timmy Mayza.”

Mitch White, making his eighth start Wednesday as a Blue Jay, allowed three runs in the first inning, kickstarted by back-to-back walks, the first to Judge, followed by a couple of hits. It was a rocky start for a Jays team hoping to bounce back after a 5-2 loss the night before that had its sloppy mishaps.

With the Yankees rocking through their batting order, White faced Judge at the plate three times in just under four innings. The Yankees slugger also flew out on a pop fly to shallow right field, and he lined out to third base.

The game was at first dull and the building was quiet. New York starter Gerrit Cole retired the first 15 Blue Jays batters he faced, simply dominant through five innings. Then the Jays came charging in a fascinating sixth inning.

Toronto’s Danny Jansen broke up Cole’s no-hitter by crushing a solo homer to finally put the Jays on the board. Whit Merrifield, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Bo Bichette all hit too, as the Jays pulled within a run.

The home crowd sprung to life, and grew very loud. Suddenly Cole committed a balk. Bradley scored, and the Jays tied the game 3-3.

Then Judge hit his homer, and fortunes flipped New York’s way again and stayed that way. Cole went on to tie a Yankees single-season record for strikeouts – as he notched No.248 in this game.

The Blue Jays have six games remaining and still need to clinch. They are off Thursday before finishing this final homestand of the regular season with three against the Boston Red Sox, starting Friday. The Jays will conclude with three in Baltimore.