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Video: Yankees' Aaron Judge Hits 300th HR; Fastest in MLB History to Accomplish Feat

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVAugust 15, 2024

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 14: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees runs after hitting a double during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox on August 14, 2024 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago,Illinois. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Welcome to the history books, Aaron Judge.

The New York Yankees slugger launched a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning of Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox, which was his 43rd of the season and 300th of his career.

In doing so in his 955th career game, he became the fastest player in Major League Baseball to hit 300 long balls.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReport

AARON JUDGE WITH HOME RUN NO. 300 ๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿ‘<br><br>HE'S THE FASTEST PLAYER TO REACH THAT MARK ๐Ÿ”ฅ<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/MLB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MLB</a>) <br> <a href="https://t.co/tsd9uJalVP">pic.twitter.com/tsd9uJalVP</a>

New York Yankees @Yankees

The fastest player to join the 300 Home Run Club ๐Ÿ‘จโ€โš–๏ธ<br><br>Congratulations, <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJudge44?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJudge44</a> ๐Ÿ‘ <a href="https://t.co/NTGfqamyKf">pic.twitter.com/NTGfqamyKf</a>

YES Network @YESNetwork

The dugout was AMPED when Aaron Judge hit his 300th home run ๐ŸŽ‰<br><br>๐Ÿ“ฝ๏ธ: <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsonPrime?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SportsonPrime</a> <a href="https://t.co/npEgKONvfX">pic.twitter.com/npEgKONvfX</a>

Judge didn't just set the record, he did so in blowout fashion.

The previous record-holder was Ralph Kiner, who accomplished the feat in 1,087 games. That means Judge needed 132 fewer games to hit 300 home runs, which is almost an entire season's worth of contests.

Setting the American League record for home runs in a single season is one way to quickly shoot up the career leaderboard, and that is exactly what Judge did in 2022. He won the AL MVP that season while hitting 62 home runs and breaking Roger Maris' record of 61 homers.

Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa all hit more than 62 home runs in a single season during their careers, but they did so in the National League for the San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, respectively.

Judge entered Wednesday's game leading the league in home runs, RBI (107), walks (101), on-base percentage (.466) and slugging percentage (.699).

He seems well on his way to winning another MVP and now has some history in his back pocket to help his cause.

The one thing really missing from his resume at this point is a World Series crown, but he will likely have a chance to change that in October. New York is tied with the Baltimore Orioles atop the American League East and leads the AL wild-card race, so postseason baseball appears to be in his near future.

And if he hits like he has in the regular season, there may be a World Series crown in his near future as well.