New York Yankees powerhouse Aaron Judge blasted his 300th home run during a decisive 10-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday. Judge reached this milestone more swiftly than any player in history, achieving it in his 955th game and 3,431st at-bat with a three-run shot in the eighth inning. The 2022 American League MVP launched a pitch from Chad Kuhl into the White Sox bullpen, marking his major league-leading 43rd home run of the season.
Judge's feat surpasses Ralph Kiner's record, who hit 300 homers in 1,087 games, and that of Babe Ruth, who did so in 3,831 at-bats. Fueled by an intentional walk issued to teammate Juan Soto, Judge capitalized with a rare homer on a 3-0 count, a scenario he hadn't homered on since 2021. "I was hoping it came in a win," Judge stated after being doused with water by teammates DJ LeMahieu and Austin Wells.
Leading the majors with 14 intentional walks, Judge acknowledged the strategy against Soto, who had four home runs in the series. "Usually 3-0, I'll take a pitch...but in that situation, if they don't want to pitch to you, you got to come through," Judge explained, adding he understood the decision given Soto's impressive hitting streak.
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Word Count: 188 (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)