Aaron Judge stepped into the box on Wednesday night with the Bronx buzzing, representing the New York Yankees with his familiar stance hinting at what was to come. A few pitches later, the crowd at Yankee Stadium roared as he launched his 50th home run of the season, a shot that marked yet another milestone in a career already filled with historic moments.

The Yankees’ captain wasn’t finished. In the eighth inning, Judge added his 51st homer, sealing an 8-1 victory over the White Sox and pushing New York back into a tie with the Toronto Blue Jays atop the American League East. It was the kind of night that tied together team urgency with personal accomplishment, linking Judge’s bat to the franchise’s larger October ambitions.

Yet, when asked to reflect on joining Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire,

See Full Page