NEW YORK — The hunt for home run No. 62 continues for Aaron Judge. To the disappointment of Yankees fans who attended the team's weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles, the slugger didn't hit his 62nd homer of the season, collecting just one hit in 13 plate appearances, with five strikeouts and five walks. «It would have been nice to hit it at home in front of the home fans, but at the end of the day, I've got a job to do,» Judge said. «We've got to get ready for the postseason, but the season is not over yet.» The anticipation for a potential American League record-breaking home run felt palpable all weekend.
Whenever Judge approached the plate, fans at Yankee Stadium stood up and cheered before a silence fell over the crowd right before pitchers began throwing toward the plate.
Fans booed every ball thrown by Orioles pitchers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. «I think it's been a lot,» Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. «I don't know that it's necessarily worn him down any more than just it's that time of year that it is.
I'm sure on some level, he wants to get it done and get it over with, but I don't think that's something that's weighed on him too much.» And while Judge failed to hit 62 in the Bronx, he will have four potential chances this week as the Yankees close their regular season against the Texas Rangers, including a doubleheader Tuesday.