Aaron Judge once said, “If what you did yesterday still seems big today, then you have not done enough today.” Born and raised in Sacramento, California, Judge has broken many societal obstacles throughout his life. From being adopted to graduating from Linden High School in 2010, Judge was born to be a star. Fast forward to today, Judge has not only become a MLB superstar, but is only 1 of 9 MLB players who have been adopted (Rosenhaus).  His perseverance and dedication has opened many doors to the extent that he is currently under contract with the New York Yankees. 

While his early stage of life may have been difficult, Judge has never let these hard times affect his present. Since his early days in Major League Baseball, Judge has never been a disappointment. 

Judge was drafted in 2013 by the New York Yankees and has played for them ever since. Little did he know that 9 years later, on September 18th, 2022, he would tie the American League home run record.  

Aaron Judge hit his 61st home run in the top of the 7th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 28th, 2022. With the blast, he tied Roger Maris who played for the New York Yankees back in the 1960’s. Judge and Maris are the only two in American League history to hit 61 homers in a single season.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Judge came by his achievement humbly, saying, “It’s an incredible honor…getting a chance to be…associated with one of the Yankees greats.” (Rivera) Also, as a multiracal player, Judge is a shining example of how MLB continues to break racial barriers. As the home run ball bounced into the bullpen, the crowd cheered. Sports announcers said that the Yankees knew the ball was gone right away and got up to cheer their teammate on. 

Judge hit his first home run of the season on April 13, 2022, which was the first walk off homer of his career. Ironically, both his first and record-trying bombs were hit against the same team – the Toronto Blue Jays.

Aaron Judge, given the name “The Monster on the Field,” has 219 career home runs. If Judge repeats his 2022 success, he will inch closer to being cemented as one of the greatest MLB players of all time. 

Judge continued his monster 2022 season, hitting number 62 on October 5th, 2022, Judge hit a bomb in the first inning against the Texas Rangers, officially making history.

The way fans see it, Judge is poised to beat more home run records. Next in line is Sammy Sosa’s 66 home runs in 1998, Mark McGwire’s 70 home runs and finally Barry Bond hitting 73 home runs in 2001. But Judge is officially number 1 starting a new record for the New York Yankees.

If you are interested in baseball, there are many local options for children and teenagers. There is little league baseball during the fall and spring. Holyoke girls softball is where younger kids start their baseball/softball careers. Most of these young athletes are committed to the sport they play. You never know – maybe you will see some of these young athletes on your TV screens breaking records just like Aaron Judge. In addition to this, there is a senior league baseball at Holyoke High School on weekends in which older adults play baseball or softball. If none of these options feel right, you can make your own team and play just for fun while living with your sandlot dreamers.

Sources used in article: 

Rosenhaus, Nancy. “MLB Athletes Touched by Adoption.” Adoptions With Love, 6 June 2022, https://adoptionswithlove.org/uncategorized/mlb-athletes-adoption. Accessed 6 October 2022.                                       

Rivera, Marly. “New York Yankees star Aaron Judge hits 61st home run of season, tying Roger Maris’ mark.” ESPN, 28 September 2022, https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34685726/new-york-yankees-star-aaron-judge-hits-61st-home-run-season-tying-roger-maris-mark. Accessed 6 October 2022.

Holyoke Girls Softball. Holyoke Youth Girls Softball League | News, http://www.holyokegirlssoftball.com/. Accessed 6 October 2022.

Holyoke Boys Baseball League. Holyoke Youth Baseball League > Home, https://clubs.bluesombrero.com/Default.aspx?tabid=484161. Accessed 6 October 2022. 

(Holyoke Girls Softball)

(Holyoke Boys Baseball League)