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Sets the MLB Record for Home Runs as a Rookie In 2017, Judge started the season on the Opening Day roster for the Yankees. By the end of the season, Judge had already put his name in the record books. His 52 home runs as a rookie broke the record of 49 set by Mark McGwire in 1987 when he was a rookie with the Oakland Athletics. Judge victimized his fellow AL East members from Baltimore repeatedly that season, hitting a whopping 11 of his 52 home runs against the Orioles. That dominance against the Orioles was never more evident than the home runs he hit in back-to-back games in June. On June 10 th , Judge crushed the hardest-hit home run of the season. The ball left the playing field with an exit velocity of

121.1 mph. The next game, Judge launched a baseball 495 feet that cleared the left-center field bleachers in Yankee Stadium. The mark stood until 2019, when Pete Alonso of the New York Mets hit 53 home runs as a rookie.

Judge launches a long home run against the Baltimore Orioles during his record-setting rookie season.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments