The Slugger

In late September, Aaron Judge stood in the batter’s box at Yankee Stadium. The voices of 40,000 fans hushed as the pitcher wound up.

Judge smacked the ball deep into the left-center-field bleachers. It was his 60th home run of the season, tying Babe Ruth’s 1927 milestone. “I never noticed the crowd until they stopped cheering, which was one of the craziest things in my career,” Judge told TIME. “That’s when I started to kind of realize, ‘Oh boy, there’s something special going on here.’”

Judge was on track to break the American League record for most home runs in a season—61—held by Roger Maris. He finally hit Number 62 on October 4, a 391-foot blast off Texas Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco.

FULL SWING Judge hits his 62nd home run of the season on October 4, breaking the American League record.

The record chase boosted game attendance and television ratings down the stretch × stretch the last part of a race (noun) Before the race, I made sure my laces were tied so they wouldn't come loose in the stretch. of the 2022 baseball season. ESPN even cut into football coverage to show Judge’s at-bats. “That’s really good for the game,” Major League Baseball (MLB) commissioner Rob Manfred says. “When you cut into football, you’re hitting people that you might not otherwise get to.”

In December, Judge signed the richest free-agent contract in baseball history. It will keep him a New York Yankee for the next nine years.

VICTORY LAP Judge rounds the bases after hitting his record-setting home run.

Team Player

Judge grew up with adoptive parents in the small town of Linden, California. As a tall biracial kid (his biological father is Black and his biological mother is white), he stood out. He was a star athlete at Linden High School in baseball, football, and basketball. He felt accepted. “Just because I didn’t look like my parents and was a little taller than everyone else,” he says, “no one treated me any different.”

In 2010, the Oakland A’s drafted Judge out of high school. He went to college instead, at Fresno State, and played baseball. His coach, Mike Batesole, would fine players who used I or me in boastful conversation.

Judge brought that team-first philosophy to the big leagues. He joined the New York Yankees in 2016. In interviews, he often gave credit to his teammates. People compared him with former Yankee Derek Jeter.

TEAM LEADER Judge speaks at a press conference at Yankee Stadium, in New York City, in December.

Judge says he’s not imitating anyone. “I’m always confused when people are like, ‘Oh, you’re like Jeter, you’re like this guy,’” he says. “I just try to be who I am.”

Free Agent

Besides setting a new home-run record, Judge led the American League in runs batted in. And he had the second-highest batting average. His highlights would get 84% more likes, comments, and shares than the average post on MLB’s Facebook page.

FAN FAVORITE Judge signs autographs before a game against the Texas Rangers on October 3.

At the end of the season, Judge became a free agent. He could have joined another team. In December, he chose to re-sign with the Yankees for $360 million.

“All guys ever talked about was, ‘Hey, wait until you become a free agent,’” Judge says about the early days of his baseball career. “You’re getting a chance to make your own decision, start a legacy × legacy something that is handed down or received from the past (noun) Our grandparents left a legacy of kindness that we will carry on. somewhere,” they told him. And that’s just what he’s doing. “I’m looking forward to the whole process, man. It’s going to be special.”

How to Hit a Homer

Starting late in the 2021 baseball season, Judge made a small change to the way he hits. It made a big difference. At the plate, he moved his hands from behind his neck to the middle of his chest. This enabled him to coil his hips and load up his power before swinging through the ball. This action creates a slingshot effect.

“You want to stretch the rubber band all the way out,” Judge says. “And once you get to that moment, you want to release it.”