Aaron Judge keeps making history.
Not only has Judge belted 33 or more home runs before the All-Star break for the third time in his career—a feat no other player has achieved in MLB history, but he now also stands alone in the Yankees record books.
Entering Wednesday's game, Judge had been intentionally walked 23 times, which tied Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle for the most intentional walks in a single season in Yankees history. That record was toppled in the bottom of the second inning of New York's 9-6 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday.
With a runner on second and two outs, the Mariners elected not to pitch to Judge, intentionally walking the 6'7" slugger. And with the intentional walk, Judge passed "The Commerce Comet" in Yankees history with 70 games to go in the regular season.
Judge tied Mantle during the Yankees four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays this past week, in which he was intentionally walked a franchise-record five times.
Clearly, teams are approaching Judge with caution—and for good reason. He's in the midst of arguably his best season, as well as one of the greatest seasons ever for a power hitter.
Judge owns a .360/.468/.737 slash line with 34 homers, 77 RBIs, 83 runs scored and 67 walks. He leads MLB in hits with 122. If his 224 wrC+ stands by season's end, it would be the sixth-highest in the history of baseball, behind only marks set by Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds.
It's no wonder that teams would rather take their chances with others in the Yankees lineup.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Judge Has Already Surpassed Impressive Mickey Mantle Single-Season Record.
