New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is delivering a historic performance that has baseball fans and analysts buzzing. According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Judge’s .397 batting average through the team’s first 62 games of the 2025 season, paired with 21 home runs, ranks as the second-highest batting average in MLB history for players with 20 or more homers in that span.
The only player ahead of Judge is Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby, who hit an astonishing .427 with 21 home runs for the 1925 St. Louis Cardinals through 62 games. Hornsby went on to win the MVP Award that year, finishing with a .403/.489/.756 slash line, 39 home runs, and 143 RBIs. Just below Judge on this elite list is Yankees legend Lou Gehrig, who batted .373 with a 1.240 OPS and 173 RBIs in 1927, earning MVP honors. Mickey Mantle, another Yankees icon, ranks fourth with a .392 average in 1957, securing his second consecutive MVP with a .365/.512/.665 line and 34 homers.
Judge, the 2024 AL MVP, is on track for one of the most remarkable seasons in recent memory. The 33-year-old leads MLB in batting average (.397), on-base percentage (.495), and slugging percentage (.759), while ranking third in home runs (21) and fifth in RBIs (51). His dominance was on full display in the Yankees’ 9-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night, where he went 3-for-5 with his 17th double of the season.
highest batting average with 20+ HR in team’s first 62 games of season:
1925 Rogers Hornsby: .427
2025 Aaron Judge: .397
1927 Lou Gehrig: .394
1957 Mickey Mantle: .392
1930 Lou Gehrig: .392 https://t.co/lfbn5oLWJf— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) June 7, 2025
What makes Judge’s performance even more extraordinary is his proximity to a .400 batting average, a feat not accomplished over a full season since Ted Williams in 1941. Additionally, Judge’s 1.254 OPS puts him in rare company, with only Barry Bonds surpassing a 1.200 OPS in a full season this century.
With plenty of games left in the 2025 season, Judge’s nightly brilliance continues to etch his name among baseball’s all-time greats, leaving Yankees fans and the baseball world in awe of his historic run