"I got nothing" - Aaron Judge downplays obliterating Mark McGwire’s HR record following Yankees defeat

Aaron Judge and the New York Yankees' winning streak came to an end after Saturday's 5-2 defeat against the Chicago Cubs. Despite the disappointing result, it was a memorable game for the Yankees captain.

The two-time MVP is making a strong case for his third MVP title this season. Judge's stellar season got even better after he took Chicago Cubs reliever Brad Keller deep for a two-run home run in the ninth inning of Saturday's game.

It was Judge's 35th home run of the season and the 350th of his MLB career. The Yankees captain became the fastest to reach the milestone, reaching it in his 1,088th game, smashing Mark McGwire's previous record of 1,280 games.

Despite his historic feat, Judge was more concerned about the outcome of the game.

“I honestly got nothing, to be honest,” Judge said with a shrug reacting to his milestone. “It would have been great if we got a win today, to do something like that."

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Aaron Judge made his MLB debut in 2016 and set the league on notice in his first full season in 2017, smashing 52 home runs to win the AL Rookie of the Year award. The All-Star outfielder hasn't looked back since, establishing himself as one of the most prolific hitters in MLB history.

At his current pace, the two-time MVP is in line to smash Mark McGwire's record of breaching the 400 home run mark in 1412 games.

Aaron Judge thanks Yankees teammates after historic home run against Cubs

While Aaron Judge didn't react to his record initially, the Yankees captain thanked his teammates, current and former, who helped him reach the milestone:

“But I’ve been surrounded by some great teammates and been on some good teams that have really put me in the best position ttogo out there and perform at my best. So it’s really just a shoutout to all the teammates I’ve had over the years.”

Aaron Judge is on pace to break several franchise records this season, as he's batting .358 with 35 home runs and 81 RBI, leading several offensive metrics in the league like hits (125), OPS (1.204), slugging percentage (.739) and WAR.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash