Yankees Aaron Judge two home runs away from breaking rookie record

Yankees phenom Aaron Judge sits only one home run shy of tying the all-time record for home runs in a season by a rookie — which has stood for 30 years.

There was a stretch of time after the All-Star break where it looked like Yankees rookie Aaron Judge would never hit another home run. After smacking 30 long balls before July 11, Judge only managed to swat another seven as the month of August came to a close.

Well, low and behold, the 25-year-old giant has righted the ship, going on an offensive tear during the month of September, hitting .296 with 11 homers and 26 RBI in 21 games, to pull within one home run of Mark McGwire‘s 1987 single-season rookie record of 49.

With the Yanks scheduled to play a make-up game on Monday against the Royals, it’s entirely possible Judge, the presumptive American League Rookie of the Year could very well break Big Mac’s record on the same day the Bombers clinch home-field advantage of the Wild Card play-in game.

While most media outlets are clamoring for Judge to tie the record on Monday, I’m saying the California Kid has as good a chance as any to pop two long balls, on what could be a very special day for all those in attendance.

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And why not, it was only Sunday afternoon that Judge added to his sixth-career multi-homer game during the Yankees’ 9-5 defeat to the Blue Jays.

Following Sunday’s loss, Judge spoke to Fox Sports about his recent turnaround.

"“I am swinging at the right pitches, getting into good counts and swinging at the right pitches,” Judge said. “The biggest thing is to win the ballgame. Do whatever I can to help the team get to October.”"

Should Judge be stifled by the Royals’ scheduled starter, right-handed rookie Jake Junis (8-2 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.28 WHIP), he’ll have six more opportunities to break, or at least tie the record at home — where the Yanks finish the regular season.

Judge’s September power-surge has put him right back in the thick of the AL MVP discussion. With a stat line that reads like a video game — .281/.416/.610, 48 home runs, 105 RBI and 109 walks (the most ever by a rookie), Judge’s competition will come from a slew of other Postseason competitors, including Jose Altuve, Jose Ramirez, likely AL Cy Young Winner Corey Kluber and/or Chris Sale.

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Since voters are traditionally shy about naming a rookie as league MVP, expect Judge to finish somewhere in the top three while garnering the ROY Award, similar to what Corey Seager of the Dodgers did in 2016.