IF AARON JUDGE HITS 63 HOMERS, PLEASE DISMISS BONDS AND THE ASTERISKED

A second journey to the American League record would make him the legitimate champion of single-season clouts — if he isn’t already — as he chases a Triple Crown and a World Series bid for the Yankees

     In his New York-muddled mind, Aaron Judge might be jeered if he hits only 61 home runs this season. “I play in front of 40,000 every single night,” he said, “and I get booed if I go 0-for-1.” Let’s worry for him, then, as he chases yet another all-time record in an unforgiving city that demands a championship.

     Just two years after he set an American League standard with 62 — and, far as we know, the highest annual total for an un-asterisked man not named Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa — Yankees fans want even more from Judge. Having clouted 48 in late August with 34 games to play, he knows they’re doing the mathematics and expect a bigger total. They also want him to win baseball’s first Triple Crown in a dozen years, with his .334 batting average and 118 runs batted in.

     And, damn it, they expect him to lead a pinstriped charge into the World Series for the first time since October 2009. They can wallop, say, the Los Angeles Dodgers, who offer Shohei Ohtani and his 39 shots. That’s what they want from a 6-foot-7 mauler who has hit 305 in his first 961 games, the most ever in a short period.

     If not, boo. He’s ready.

     “I guess we’re on the pace portion of the season,” said his manager, Aaron Boone. “Look, anything’s possible with him. He just wants to be great every day and help us win. So nothing would surprise me.”

     The blessing of Judge, if not a curse, is that he isn’t content with everything he has accomplished. He wants more, too, “until I take the jersey off my back.” In that sense, he is playing for the right franchise in the right town, making the free-agent decision to accept $360 million after considering a return to San Francisco or life in San Diego. He is in New York, dealing with the bowels of massive pressure and tall expectations. His power inventory never is front and center in his psyche, though he has delivered 44 homers in his last 90 games. He longs for a title — banner No. 28 — and at the moment, the Yankees have the league’s best record.

     “If it comes with a ring and a lot of fun in the playoffs, then definitely that would be cool,” Judge said. “I’m going to try to get better every single year and do whatever I can to help the Yankees win the World Series. That’s why I’m here. Just try to never be satisfied. This game has given me a lot. I have to try to give my all to the game.”

     The difference between now and 2022 is that he has Juan Soto hitting ahead of him in the lineup and, lately, Giancarlo Stanton hitting behind him. Soto has 36 homers and Stanton has 21 after overcoming another injury. This would be the 21st-century version of Murderers Row. That’s why hitting 63 cannot be dismissed, as Soto said, knowing in tandem that they rank among sport’s mightiest. Judge’s double-bomb game Wednesday night gave him 38 multi-homer performances in seven years. Another thump Thursday was his sixth in his last seven games.

     So, grant him the new record. Or boo.

     Why?

     “He’s just incredible. And the consistency that he has,” Soto said. “I think that’s one of the things that I admire the most. It doesn’t matter if the game is 10 runs up or 10 runs down, he’s going to take a great at-bat and try to do damage to the other team. I try to do the same thing.”

     “What a wonderful experience to have him on my team and to be around him,” said Gerrit Cole, who is back from an elbow injury and allowed one hit in six innings in a 6-0 victory over Cleveland.

     Boone watches with his future in potential jeopardy, realizing he can’t let Judge’s career wander too far without a trophy. “I think he just kind of keeps getting a little better all the time,” he said. “I think that’s what greatness is. You’re never kind of satisified with who you are.”

     How? “I think, obviously, since he’s been in the league, he’s pretty much been great from the jump,” Boone said. “But I think just the way he controls the strike zone now is to another level, and then his power is different than just about anyone.”

     And Soto? “Two guys that great — back to back — I think they root for one another. I think they really appreciate each other,” Boone said. “One is right-handed, one is left-handed. They are different in how they do it. I think they have an appreciation for one another, and I think they like doing what they (do) together.”

     Nestor Cortes saw Judge make history. The pitcher is eager for more. “I watched this in 2022 all year,” he said. “It felt like every time he was up to bat, it was either a homer or a walk, and that’s exactly what’s happening now. It speaks to what he is and what he does and the way he goes about his game. He comes here every single day prepared and ready to work and he puts everybody on his back. We’re ready to rock.”

     This is an odd period. Judge heard a coach from Staten Island, leading his team at the Little League World Series, call him out for ignoring his kids as the Yankees spent Sunday at a game in Williamsport, Pa. Bob Laterza thanked Boone, Cole and Jasson Dominguez for visiting with his kids. Judge? “How about turning around or (waving) to New York and the kids that think you're a hero,” he said. “They are the ones who pay your salary.”

     Judge is known for his work with children off the field, winning the 2023 Roberto Clemente Award. The coach’s comments were off base. “I got no response for that," Judge said. "I'm not going to give him a response because it's about the kids. This is what it's all about. We got a chance to spend a lot of time with quite a few kids in Williamsport, make some great memories. Had a great time at the game. So I kind of want that to be the focus. I don't really want to put any weight into the comments.”

     The Yankees were miffed, referring to Judge as “one of the great ambassadors of our sport.” A statement wished the South Shore team well, before a tournament-ending loss Tuesday. “Win or lose, we intend to invite them to Yankee Stadium. However, it would have been much better if Staten Island's coach called us to understand the facts before bitterly reacting in such a public fashion,” the team said. “Reaching out to us would have been the prudent way to act and would have set a fine example for his young players. Aaron Judge always acts with kindness and respect. The coach could learn a lot from him. He is a role model worth celebrating — not simply because of his skills and accomplishments on the field — but because of the way he wholeheartedly embraces making a positive impact on those who look up to him.”

     “Aaron Judge,” said Boone, “is as good as it gets.”

     Consider it an unlikely jeer.

     Time after time, two players dominate baseball. Judge accepted almost half the contractual money of Ohtani, but again, September belongs to him. I call him the legitimate champion of single-season home runs, shooing away the asterisked.

     He needs 15. The date is Aug. 23. Only Bob Laterza isn’t watching, unless he is.

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     Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.