NEW YORK – Aaron Judge hit his 30th home run of the season, breaking Joe DiMaggio’s record for most by a New York Yankees rookie.
Judge, who leads the majors in homers, reached the plateau Friday night in his 82nd game of the season. DiMaggio hit 29 home runs over 138 games in 1936, his first year in pinstripes, and went on to a Hall of Fame career.
The 6-foot-7, 282-pound Judge also joined Oakland slugger Mark McGwire as the only big league rookies to hit 30 home runs before the All-Star break. McGwire had 33 homers at the break in 1987.
Leading off the fifth inning, Judge connected against Milwaukee Brewers rookie left-hander Josh Hader and sent a 432-foot drive to center field, giving the Yankees a 4-2 lead. The ball struck the dark restaurant windows above Monument Park and caromed onto protective netting.
Judge was all smiles in the dugout as he high-fived teammates.
