New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge left his eternal mark on the history of Major League Baseball when he surpassed Roger Maris’ record for most home runs scored in a signal season in 2022. His 62nd home run came on October 4 at the Globe Field Stadium in Texas.
Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run went deep into the stands before eventually landing in Section 31, Row 1, Seat 3 of the Globe Field ballpark. The spot was preserved in honour of Judge’s iconic milestone. However, due to a few miscreants, the New York Yankees captain is set to lose his plaque forever.
Rangers Will Not Reinstall Aaron Judge Plaque After Multiple Thefts
Aaron Judge’s iconic home run record plaque, commemorating his milestone 62nd home run of the 2022 MLB season, will not be returning to the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field after multiple incidents of theft and vandalism. The plaque, which had been proudly displayed in the stadium since Judge broke Roger Maris’s long-standing all-time high league record, has become a target for miscreants, prompting the stadium management to make the difficult decision to remove it permanently. The Rangers organization initially installed the plaque to honour Judge’s achievement. However, the plaque’s presence has been more controversial than celebratory. In less than a year, it has been stolen twice. Ahead of the Yankees’ visit to Texas for a series this week, it was stolen again.
Despite increased security measures and multiple replacements, the repeated thefts have led the Texas Rangers to conclude that it was no longer feasible or prudent to maintain the display. Fans of Aaron Judge have expressed disappointment at the decision, arguing that the plaque should be on display as a tribute to a historic moment. However, the Rangers have faced significant challenges in ensuring its safety. Needless to say, it is an extremely unfortunate incident that raises significant security concerns. It’s even more heartbreaking for Judge to see his memorable moment vanish this easily. However, the Yankees captain has an opportunity to recreate history by scoring 62 home runs again this year. He is on pace to hit 63 home runs after scoring 51 in 138 games. The Yankees are favourites to make a deep postseason run, and hence, Judge will get enough at-bats to recreate the magic, this time in a different ballpark.
Judge Receives Player Of The Month Award For Record Third Time
In a significant achievement, Aaron Judge was named player of the month for August and this is the third time this season that Judge is receiving player of the month award. After a majestic May, Judge slashed .389/.530/.865 with 12 homers, six doubles, 24 RBI, and 21 runs scored in August.
His season average is .326/.459/.711 with 51 homers and 124 RBI in 136 games. Not only that, Aaron Judge is leading MLB in homers, RBI, walks, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS+, and total bases. At this pace, the Yankee captain is the favourite to win the AL-MVP award, thus beating Bobby Witt Jr of the Kansas City Royals.
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