Aaron Judge's Quest for 61, Yankees at Blue Jays

The New York Yankees are north of the border, facing the division rival Toronto Blue Jays. With their 5-2 win on Tuesday night, the Pinstripes clinched the American League East crown and a first-round bye in the postseason, their first since 2019 and just their second since 2013.

More has been on the line besides postseason position over the past week, as Aaron Judge has been stuck on 60 home runs for seven games, his longest homer-less streak since a nine-game stretch in mid-August. For those living under a rock, his next round-tripper ties him with Roger Maris for the AL record.

Not just a home run hitter, Judge is having an all-time all-around season leading the Major Leagues in OPS (1.119), WAR (10.0), SLG (.693), OBP (.425), Total Bases (380), and runs (128). His 128 RBI are second, and his .314 batting average is fourth. Wow. The ultimate bet on yourself season for the free agent to be.

 The Blue Jays have done a relatively decent job keeping Judge in the park this season. The slugger has three long balls in 66 ABs, once every 22 trips to the plate (compared to once every 9.13 ABs on the season). Of course, it helps when you walk him six times in two games, four last night alone.

In his career, Judge has faced tonight’s starting pitcher, Mitch White, just twice. White has yet to get Judge out, while the bopper has yet to take the 27-year-old right-hander out. He’s 2-for-2 with a pair of singles.

Since he was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers, White has been a disaster for the Jays. His ERA has jumped from 3.70 in LA to 7.39 for Toronto, including 8.03 in September. On the bright side, White hasn’t allowed a home run in his past three starts (12.1 innings).

September has arguably been the Bomber’s most productive month of the season, with his highest slash line (.423/.566/.872), OPS (1.438), hits (33), doubles (8), and runs (24).

Half of Judge’s home runs (30) have come on the road, nine in September, 11 in the past 30 days, and five over the past 15 days. On the other side, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has taken Gerrit Cole deep twice in 24 ABs with a .375 average.