BALTIMORE — The good news is Aaron Judge has 37 homers, the most by a Yankee through 97 games since Mickey Mantle hit 39 in 1961.
On the flip side, if Judge is going to make a run at history, he and the Yankees have just three games left against the Orioles — the slugger’s favorite punching bag.
Judge has seven homers in his last nine games against Baltimore and the 35 he has hit in his career versus the Orioles are more than against any other team.
At this point, though, it hardly seems to matter what opponent the Yankees are facing, since he has six homers in his last seven games overall.
“He’s so consistent, it’s like he’s been hot all year,’’ DJ LeMahieu said. “That’s extremely difficult. No matter what level of player you are, it’s impressive. And to do it at the level he’s doing it at, he’s the best player in the game right now.”
That’s a familiar refrain around the league at this point, especially in the Yankees clubhouse.
“It’s incredible,’’ Nestor Cortes said, who pitched six scoreless innings in the Yankees’ 6-0 win Sunday. “Everything he does, from the moment he steps into the clubhouse to the moment he’s out there stretching to when he’s playing the game, everything about him is excellence.”
Including his ability to predict homers, apparently.
After striking out in the first inning Sunday, he apologized to Aaron Boone before his second at-bat and added, “I’ve got you here.”
Then he went out and followed LeMahieu’s two-out RBI double by drilling a 456-foot two-run shot that gave the Yankees a 3-0 lead in the third.
After his two-hit day — he also singled in the seventh and walked and scored in the ninth — Judge is batting .294, the highest his average has been since June 26.
He has reached base multiple times in seven straight games. During that stretch, he’s 14-for-25 with two doubles, six homers and 15 RBIs.
While Judge won’t say if he has a home run total in mind for this season, he does admit he wants to hit .300.
“I’ve always said a good hitter is a guy with a high average,’’ Judge said. “That’s what I saw in a lot of greats [like] Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera. They hit .300 and the power came with it. It’s always a goal of mine to try to hit above .300. I’m working towards it.”
“It’s important to him,’’ Boone said. “He continues to grow his game and not be satisfied.”
As for the home run number, Judge said, “I try not to think about it, like I’ve said before.”
That will be impossible if he keeps up this pace.