Latest news with #Aaron Judge
New York Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
‘The Prince of New York': How Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr. transformed into an All-Star
NEW YORK — Every time Jazz Chisholm Jr. or Aaron Judge hits a home run, they wrap up their choreographed celebratory handshake by crowning themselves. It starts with a slap of the hands — forward, then back — followed by two quick forward slaps, and finishes with both players forming a crown with their hands above their heads like baseball royalty. Advertisement 'My middle name is Prince,' Chisholm said. 'They call (Judge) the King of New York. They call me the Prince of New York.' The Prince of New York now reigns from the New York Yankees' clubhouse, where a regal red robe is draped over his chair and a crown rests atop it. The Yankees have been giving the robe and crown to the player who had the 'golden at-bats of the month,' and Chisholm was the selection for June, voted on by the players. Cody Bellinger won the honor in May, but the crown was never spotted inside the clubhouse until Chisholm received it. Whenever Chisholm goes off in a game, afterward he'll sit in his seat with his crown on his head, throne claimed, proudly showing off his honor. On Monday night at Truist Park in Atlanta, Chisholm will participate in the Home Run Derby for the first time in his career, hoping to take home an iced-out chain that he would most certainly wear with his regalia. The 2025 Home Run Derby chain 🥶💎 The chain will be presented to the winner of this year's Home Run Derby — MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2025 His rise to becoming an American League All-Star in his first full season with the Yankees is tied to several big gains and began shortly after he went on the injured list in late April with a right oblique strain. He was 177 pounds when he hurt himself on a swing in Baltimore on April 29. By June 1, he weighed 190.2 pounds. And don't forget the 0.2 pounds when you mention his weight. Every ounce counts for Chisholm, who has battled for years to add weight to his wiry frame. When the scale showed 190.2 pounds, Chisholm took a video and sent it to his friends. He then ran around the clubhouse in jubilation. The difference for Chisholm is his water consumption, he says. 'Compared to the amount of water I used to drink, I drink like eight times (more now),' Chisholm said. 'It's just ridiculous the amount of water intake I have now. My stomach always feels full as f— because of the water.' Advertisement Before the injury, Chisholm said he would drink about three bottles of water in a day. He'd mix juices in with meals, but that was it. Now, he's always hydrating. Chisholm, 27, drinks a bottle of water before he gets out of bed. He sets one on his nightstand before bed so he can chug it immediately upon waking up. Without fail, Chisholm will get up at 6 a.m., chug water, get in his hot tub, shower, drink another bottle of water, then eat breakfast with a bottle of water and juice. Then he'll play video games for a couple of hours while he sips on a few bottles of water before heading to the stadium. Chisholm said he didn't change anything about his diet while he rehabbed. He worked out every day. The only change he made in his life was how much water he drank. He is just as confused as you might be in reading this. 'Seriously, no joke,' Chisholm said. 'I could be eating a lot and I'd still be at 177 pounds. I just drink an insane amount of water.' But there was another major change that happened for the two-time All-Star since returning from his oblique injury in early June. He went from being a slightly above-league-average hitter with a 102 wRC+ this season through his first 125 plate appearances to having a 174 wRC+ in his last 146 plate appearances, making him one of MLB's 10 best hitters during that span. Chisholm went from striking out in more than 31 percent of his plate appearances to just more than 23 percent. There have been mechanical changes for Chisholm, too, that have contributed to his newfound success. He went from an average bat speed of 72 mph in March and April to 75 mph in July. That has coincided with Chisholm's average exit velocity rising by 3 mph. He has also ditched his leg kick for a toe-tap, which usually helps hitters stay more in control of their swings. Advertisement That is at the heart of what Chisholm believes has taken his game to the next level. He calls it a 70 percent mindset, which assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler helped him develop. Roessler told Chisholm that his '70 percent swing' is better than most players' 100 percent swing. The results have been undeniable. But Chisholm was convinced that his 70 percent swing was decreasing his bat speed. 'I am swinging less hard, 1,000 percent,' Chisholm said. 'I'm sure ya'll could tell.' He was stunned when informed that his bat speed was actually faster than before the change. He attributed that to being in sync with his mechanics like never before. Everything is smooth now. No longer does it look like Chisholm is trying to hit 500-foot bombs. 'The biggest thing with Jazz is when Jazz is loose and has that quickness to his swing — he uses his wrists and hands as good as anybody,' Yankees hitting coach James Rowson said. 'It's like dynamite in the barrel. His hand speed and quickness reminds me of guys like (Alfonso) Soriano. I want to say (Gary) Sheffield, but he was different. All of those guys had that elite snap in their swing, and Jazz has that.' Yankees manager Aaron Boone had another comparison for the Yankees second baseman's ability to draw that much power from a slender frame. 'In a lot of ways, his swing reminds me a little bit of — I'm not putting him with Ken Griffey Jr. — but that's who he reminds me of a little bit with how he can loft balls like that,' Boone said. Judge calls Chisholm a 'game-changer' for the Yankees because of his ability to be a force in the middle of the lineup, but also for what he provides defensively. Chisholm's four outs above average rank sixth among second basemen. Chisholm, whom the Yankees acquired from the Miami Marlins at last year's trade deadline, created a stat earlier this year so his contributions offensively could rival Judge's. Chisholm thought that if he added his home run and stolen base totals, he might be able to beat the two-time American League MVP. So far, Chisholm has 27 home runs and stolen bases combined to Judge's 41. Advertisement But what he also thought about coming into the 2025 season was what he could do playing a full season on a winning team. He believed he'd be more focused playing high-stakes baseball every day compared to toiling on the rebuilding Marlins. In spring training, Chisholm said he thought that could be the springboard to having a career year. So far, he's right. 'As soon as I drive in and see that Yankee Stadium sign, I'm already ready to go out of the car,' Chisholm said earlier this year. 'I could go play and run through a wall. Sometimes with Miami, you're going out there like, 'Damn. We're probably going to lose this game.' Yeah, I'm gonna try to get my hits, but at the end of the day, it's like you're going out there and playing for no reason. With the Yankees, I got over here and I felt like every day I was playing for a reason. I was playing for my friends at home that love the Yankees so much and they text me every day, 'You gotta go off today.' 'My goal is to have a full season being on a competitive team that wants to win every day and everybody's all-in every day. Let me see what I do with that. I think it's gonna be career numbers — and not even career numbers like last year — I'm talking about substantially better.'
Fox News
2 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hits milestone home run at blistering fast pace
It didn't take long for Aaron Judge to hit the 350th home run of his MLB career. On Saturday, the New York Yankees slugger knocked a ball over the outfield wall to reach the milestone. While hitting 350 homers is a feat in itself, Judge reached the mark more quickly than former slugger Mark McGwire. Judge reached 350 in his 1,088th game, while McGwire hit No. 350 in his 1,280th game against Detroit Tigers pitcher Brian Moehler June 2, 1997, surpassing Harmon Killebrew, who hit his 350th in his 1,319th game. "Big Mac did a lot of great things in this game, and he's definitely a legend," Judge said. "I just think he's playing in a different league," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after Judge's ninth-inning drive to right center field against the Cubs. Chicago won 5-2. Judge, who turned 33 in April, debuted with the Yankees at age 24 in 2016. The two-time AL MVP also doubled twice and is hitting a major league-leading .358 with 35 homers and 81 RBIs. "Would have been great if we got a win today," Judge said. "I've been surrounded by a lot of great teammates, been on some good teams, so they really put me in the best position to go out there and perform at my best." McGwire finished his career in 2001 at age 38 with 583 homers, still good for 11th on the career list. He admitted in 2010 he used performance-enhancing drugs and has been denied entry to baseball's Hall of Fame. The Yankees captain said he has maintained a relationship with McGwire since their first conversation. "I think it started with when I broke my first rib," Judge said. "I think his son was kind of going through the same thing, so he was first asking me how did I heal? What do we do? So, I kind of gave him some tips on that. And then we just kind of chit-chatted a little bit and kept in contact." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aaron Judge shatters Mark McGwire's MLB record during Yankees loss
The New York Yankees lost 5-2 to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Despite the loss, Aaron Judge made some history in the ninth inning of the contest. Judge hit a two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was the 350th home run of his already phenomenal career. He became the fastest player in MLB history to reach 350 home runs. Advertisement According to MLB's Sarah Langs, Judge passes Mark McGwire to become the fastest player to reach the mark. Not only did Judge pass him, but he did it by a wide margin. McGwire hit his 350th home run in his 1,280th game. Judge did it in his 1,088th game. There's almost a 200-game difference between when Judge and McGwire reached the 350-homer mark. McGwire was in his 12th season and had been named an All-Star nine times in that span. He also had two Silver Sluggers and a Gold Glove. Judge is in his 10th season and has been named an All-Star seven times. He has four Silver Sluggers and two MVP Awards already. Judge is on track to be one of the all-time great home run hitters. At his current pace, Judge could finish his career alongside the likes of Barry Bonds, Henry Aaron and Babe Ruth in terms of home runs. Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp Judge did not make much of his achievement after the game. When asked about the feat, he noted that he wishes the team had found a way to win today. More MLB: Yankees make Anthony Volpe decision following DJ LeMahieu release
National Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Yankees' Judge fastest to reach 350 MLB homers
New York (AFP) — New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge became the fastest player in Major League Baseball history to reach 350 career home runs when he belted a two-run homer in the ninth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday. Article content Judge's 350th career home run came in his 1,088th game — beating the previous mark set by Mark McGwire who needed 1,280 games to hit the milestone. Article content Article content Article content Judge is the fourth player to reach 350 home runs as a Yankee, after Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez and current teammate Giancarlo Stanton. Article content The homer was Judge's 35th of the season — three behind the 38 of Seattle's Cal Raleigh atop the season list. Article content Judge has hit more than 50 homers in three separate seasons, belting 58 last year to help the Yankees reach the World Series.
France 24
2 days ago
- Sport
- France 24
Yankees' Judge fastest to reach 350 MLB homers
Judge's 350th career home run came in his 1,088th game -- beating the previous mark set by Mark McGwire who needed 1,280 games to hit the milestone. Judge is the fourth player to reach 350 home runs as a Yankee, after Babe Ruth, Alex Rodriguez and current teammate Giancarlo Stanton. The homer was Judge's 35th of the season -- three behind the 38 of Seattle's Cal Raleigh atop the season list. Judge has hit more than 50 homers in three separate seasons, belting 58 last year to help the Yankees reach the World Series. He leads the American League in batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.465) and slugging percentage (.739). The reigning American League Most Valuable Player is set to serve as captain of the AL team in Tuesday's All-Star Game in Atlanta after winning the fan vote. © 2025 AFP
