Setting a new American League home run record wasn’t the only way Yankees star Aaron Judge had a chance to make history in the 2022 Major League Baseball season.
Judge did, indeed, surpass Roger Maris on the leaderboard for the most round-trippers in a single Junior Circuit season. Unfortunately for the New York slugger, he fell just short of winning the seventh AL triple crown in big league history. Judge led the AL in the regular season in home runs (62) and RBIs (131), but he fell five points shy of a co-lead for the battling title. The four-time All-Star sat out the Yankees’ matchup with the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, which awarded the batting crown to Minnesota Twins infielder Luis Arráez (.316).
Once it became clear that Arráez was going to end the season with the AL’s highest average, the Twins sent out a playful tweet at the expense of Judge.
“ALL ARRAEZ!!!,” the tweet read, coupled with a crown emoji.
It’s an impressive accomplishment by Arráez, no doubt, but Judge and the Yankees obviously have far more bragging rights in this situation. Minnesota is headed for the offseason after finishing with a 78-84 record, while New York won the American League East.
The Bronx Bombers will meet either the Tampa Bay Rays or the Cleveland Guardians in the divisional round.
