Aaron Judge etched his name in baseball history Saturday, becoming the fastest player ever to reach 350 career home runs. The milestone came with a two-run shot in the ninth inning off Chicago Cubs reliever Brad Keller — Judge’s 35th homer of the season — but it wasn’t enough to spark a comeback as the New York Yankees fell 5–2 in the Bronx.
The blast came in Judge’s 1,088th career game, eclipsing Mark McGwire’s previous record of 1,280 games by a wide margin.
“Big Mac did a lot of great things in this game. He’s a legend,” Judge said after the game. “It would’ve been better if we had gotten the win, but I’ve been surrounded by great teammates who’ve helped put me in the best position to succeed.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised his captain’s performance: “I just think he’s playing in a different league right now.”
Judge, 33, made his MLB debut in 2016 at age 24. McGwire, who finished his career in 2001 with 583 home runs, currently ranks 11th on the all-time list.
While Judge’s power continues to impress, the Yankees struggled against Chicago starter Matthew Boyd. The first-time All-Star stifled New York’s lineup across eight scoreless innings, allowing just four hits — including two doubles to Judge — while striking out six and issuing no walks. Boyd (10–3) picked up his fourth straight win and fifth consecutive decision, throwing 62 of 85 pitches for strikes.
Closer Daniel Palencia reached 101.1 mph as he recorded the final two outs, securing his 11th save in 12 opportunities and snapping the Yankees’ five-game win streak.
Yankees starter Max Fried (11–3) had a rough outing, lasting just three innings before leaving with another blister on his pitching hand — a recurring issue in recent seasons. He surrendered six hits, three walks, and four runs (three earned), while throwing only 39 of 73 pitches for strikes. Fried, a three-time All-Star, had been undefeated in his career against the Cubs before Saturday’s loss.
Chicago took an early lead as Nico Hoerner tripled to open the game and scored on Kyle Tucker’s groundout. The Cubs added three more in the third inning with RBI contributions from Carson Kelly, Dansby Swanson, and Ian Happ. Kelly later homered off Yankees reliever Jonathan Loaisiga in the eighth, marking the seventh long ball Loaisiga has allowed in just 23 innings since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Despite Judge’s late milestone, the Yankees couldn’t muster enough offense to close the gap, falling short as the Cubs evened the series.
