Aaron Judge passes Joe DiMaggio with 362nd Yankees homer
Judge’s 442-foot blast at Fenway moves him to fourth on franchise list amid an MVP-caliber season
Aaron Judge moved past Yankees icon Joe DiMaggio on the franchise career home run list when he launched his 362nd career homer in the first inning Friday night at Fenway Park.
The 33-year-old slugger sent a 442-foot drive well over the Green Monster to left field for a solo shot against the Boston Red Sox, placing him fourth on New York’s all-time list. Judge now trails only Babe Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536) and Lou Gehrig (493) in franchise history.
The milestone capped a stretch in which Judge has been a constant presence atop major-league leaderboards. He hit a pair of long balls Thursday in a 9-3 win over the Detroit Tigers to draw even with DiMaggio; that game came minutes after a clubhouse visit by President Donald Trump at Yankee Stadium during which Judge shook the president’s hand. Two days earlier, Judge passed longtime Yankees catcher Yogi Berra when he hit his 359th career homer.
Entering Friday’s game, Judge was slashing an MLB-leading .322/.443/.669 with 46 home runs and 100 RBIs, and he led the American League with 118 runs scored and 100 walks. The long ball at Fenway was not a marginal shot — the distance made clear the power behind the swing and continued a season-long display of extra-base authority.
Judge’s ascent on the Yankees’ career homers list underscores how quickly he has climbed franchise history despite a later start to his major-league career than many Hall of Famers. Reaching and surpassing figures linked to Hall of Famers such as DiMaggio and Berra highlights Judge’s sustained productivity across multiple seasons.
The milestone also revives historical comparisons within a franchise long defined by its sluggers. Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig remain the only Yankees with more career home runs than Judge. Each of those players compiled totals over careers that began and developed in very different eras of baseball.
Judge’s run production and on-base work this season have helped keep the Yankees in contention in the American League, and his power numbers have been a focal point of the team’s offense. The club and its fans have marked each passing benchmark as Judge continues to close the gap on some of the most storied names in Yankees history.
After Friday’s game, there were no immediate changes announced to Judge’s routine or lineup status. The home run adds to a campaign that has produced several milestone moments for the Yankees captain and keeps attention on how far his career totals might climb if his current pace continues.
