Aaron Judge home run race: How to watch Yankees vs. Orioles on TV and streaming as slugger tries for No. 62
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 61st home run of the season Wednesday, tying the American League and Yankees team record previously held alone by Roger Maris (61 in 1961).
The list of players who have hit 61+ home runs in a season is only three, and those players have hit it six times in total. These seasons all took place between 1998 and 2001 and many people believe there is a black cloud hanging over this period in baseball history. Maris’ son is one of them.
For those folks and those who are close to either the AL or the Yankees home run records, a judge hitting 62 would be a tremendous thing.
Regardless of all opinions on the subject, 62 is rarefied air.
Here’s how you can tune in to see Judge’s tracking history:
Yankees vs. Orioles streaming info
time: 7:05 p.m. ET | date: Friday 30 September
location: Yankee Stadium, New York
TV channel: YES | MASN | MLB Network
Live broadcast: fuboTV (free trial) | MLB.tv (Free Game of the Day) | Amazon Prime
Latest Odds:
New York Yankees -1.5
MLB home run leaderboards
The judge goes into Friday’s game seventh on the MLB single-season home run list and first on the American League’s single-season home run list. Just look:
Most year-long home runs, MLB
1. Barry Bonds, 73, 2001
2. Mark McGwire, 70, 1998
3. Sammy Sosa, 66, 1998
4. Mark McGwire, 65, 1999
5. Sammy Sosa, 64, 2001
6. Sammy Sosa, 63, 1999
T7. Aaron Richter, 61, 2022
T7. Roger Maris, 61, 1961
8. Babe Ruth, 60, 1927
Most home runs in a season, American League
T1 Aaron Richter, 61, 2022
T1 Roger Maris, 61, 1961
2. Babe Ruth, 60, 1927
T4. Hank Greenberg, 58, 1938
T4. Jimmie Foxx, 58, 1932
6. Alex Rodríguez, 57, 2002
scouting report
Right-hander Jordan Lyles gets the ball for the Orioles. He has given up 25 homers in 172 innings this season, which is the sixth most in the AL, and so is his 2.7 HR/9 rate this season Good above the 1.1 league average. He led the majors with 38 allowed homers last season.
Even better news for Judge and the Yankees is Lyles’ work away from Camden. On the road this season, he’s allowed a 5.56 ERA and 19 home runs in 89 innings.
In career head-to-head matchups, Judge has played 5 for 14 (.357) with two doubles and two homers against Lyles. That’s a slugging percentage of 0.929, albeit in a small sample. He was 0-2 against Lyles before this year, so all the damage happened in 2022.
Whenever Lyles is removed, eyes turn to the Orioles’ sneaky bullpen. The judge may not want to see Dillon Tate (0-9, 3K). He hasn’t seen Cionel Pérez (who has dirty stuff) and is only 0-1 with a walk-in against stud man Félix Bautista.
While the numbers, particularly in these examples, can’t predict the future, the best bet for judges will come against Lyles on Friday night.