Aaron Judge passes Yogi Berra on Yankees' all-time home run list

Aaron Judge provided the one bright spot for the Yankees on Tuesday night in The Bronx.

In the first inning of what would ultimately be a 12-2 loss to the Tigers, Judge launched a one-out solo homer that not only gave the Yankees an early 1-0 lead, but gave him career home run 359, surpassing the great Yogi Berra for fifth-most in franchise history. 

"The last few years with what Aaron’s done in this league and the seasons he’s had, he’s been in some rarified air," manager Aaron Boone said after the game. "There’s been some impressive lists or names he’s next to, but when you see a career list like that with this organization and where he is right now in the center of it, it’s pretty awesome."

The Yankees have had the same top five home run hitters in their franchise since Aug. 7, 1957. Babe Ruth (659), Mickey Mantle (536), Lou Gehrig (493), Joe DiMaggio (361) and Berra (358) made up that list for more than 50 years, but now Judge's name is at the top with those Yankees legends.

When he was asked about it after the game, Judge said his first thought was on what it meant for Tuesday's game, but he appreciates the company he has joined.

"Passing Yogi is pretty special. All-time great Yankee. What he meant to this organization, even when he was done playing, being around, the stories we heard. He's the definition of a true Yankee," he said. "Any time you're on a list with a guy like that, it's pretty remarkable."

As remarkable as the accomplishment is, the feeling after the loss was less so. The Yankees got out to an early 2-0 lead but were in position to potentially win the game entering the seventh inning tied at 2-2. But the combination of Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. allowed nine runs without recording an out, and put Tuesday's game out of reach.

Despite the performance, Judge believes in the Yankees' bullpen and chalks it up to a bad game.

"It's just not going our way," he said. "Especially the guys we brought out of the bullpen, I trust every single one of those guys. They've gotten a lot of big outs for us, especially Cruzer and Leiter. Just didn't get it done there and put us in a bad spot. But we just gotta show up tomorrow, do our thing, and we'll be where we need to be."

The Yankees continue their three-game set with the Tigers on Wednesday, hoping to draw even in the series and stay within reach of the Blue Jays for the AL East crown.

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