Aaron Judge failed to join Hall of Fame company with first home run in Denver in NY Yankees loss

Aaron Judge matched Shohei Ohtani with 17 home runs this season, placing both sluggers atop the home run leaderboard in their respective leagues. However, while Ohtani’s Los Angeles Dodgers secured a win over the New York Mets, Judge’s New York Yankees fell to one of the league’s worst teams, the Colorado Rockies.

Despite Judge’s stellar performance fueling excitement among Yankees fans, concerns quickly surfaced on social media following the team’s underwhelming effort in Denver. Now sitting at 30–20, New York will once again rely on Judge to lead the way as they look to bounce back in the next game of the series.

Judge’s 17th home run was his first at Coors Field and nearly placed him in elite company. He came close to joining an exclusive group of Hall of Famers who batted .400 or better through their first 50 games of a season.

Unfortunately for the Yankees’ captain, his batting average fell just short. Following the Subway Series, the Red Sox matchup, and the opener against Colorado, Judge’s average stood at .397, just outside the .400 mark. That also cost him the top spot in that statistical leaderboard.

The Hall of Famers Judge nearly joined

While Judge’s numbers remain impressive, they weren’t quite enough to join this exclusive group of players who hit .400 or better through 50 games. Still, the names on the list provide inspiration as he continues a standout season:

see also

Phillies teammate of Bryce Harper surpasses NY Yankees’ Aaron Judge in key home run stat

• Chipper Jones, 2008 Atlanta Braves: .417
• Todd Helton, 2000 Colorado Rockies: .421
• Larry Walker, 1997 Colorado Rockies: .409
• Tony Gwynn, 1997 San Diego Padres: .404

More milestones for Judge in 2025

Over his last five games, Judge has continued to climb the record books, surpassing marks set by MLB legends. His 2025 campaign is shaping up to be one of the most memorable in recent Yankees history.

Earlier this season, Judge posted a .403 batting average and 16 home runs through 47 games, approaching a benchmark not seen since 1930. Through 45 games, his 15 home runs and .402 average placed him just .003 behind Jose Ramirez’s recent pace and .009 shy of Mickey Mantle’s iconic 1956 figure.