In 2001, Barry Bonds blasted an unbelievable 73 home runs in a single season. For years, the next closest was Roger Maris who hit 61 dingers in 1961. We never imagined that we would see either one of these two leap-frogged on the all-time list. New York Yankees’ superstar Aaron Judge had other plans and hit 62 home runs in the 2022 season to put his name in the record books.
Judge is off to another unbelievable start in 2025 and has a couple different feats within reach. If he continues on the pace he is on, Judge has the opportunity to post a .400+ batting average across a 162-game stretch. As impressive as that is, there is another record no one thought would ever be broken in jeopardy.
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Aaron Judge is challenging Ichiro Suzuki's single-season hit record
Typically you see a hitter either have a high batting average and low power numbers or vice versa. Aaron Judge is the exception. In 2025, he is on another planet hitting for both average and power at rates that we have only seen a few times throughout MLB history. Since Judge already has the most home runs in a single-season for an American League player, he is now on the chase for another historic feat.
In 2004, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners broke a record that had stood since 1920. Suzuki had 262 hits that season which to this day remains the most hits by a player in a single season. Believe it or not, Judge is within striking distance of that record.
It seems unrealistic to say that Judge can continue the pace he is on for the entire 2025 season, but the Yankees’ captain has also shown no signs of slowing down. Judge is currently on pace to end the season just one hit shy of Ichiro’s record. This is something to keep an eye on as the year unfolds. We could be talking about a player who ends the season with a .400+ batting average, 50+ homers and over 262 hits. Judge has a chance to have arguably the most impressive offensive season of all-time and is must-see TV.