Stunted by the rain Sunday night, Aaron Judge is taking his record chase on the road.
Judge remained at 60 home runs, one short of Roger Maris' American League mark, when the New York Yankees' 2-0 victory over the visiting Boston Red Sox was called after six innings because of heavy showers.
The big slugger went 1-for-2 with a double and was due up next for the Yankees when play was stopped. The game was called after a 98-minute delay, sending Judge to Toronto still in pursuit of Maris.
But the four-time all-star insisted he wasn't disappointed he was unable to hit No. 61 on New York's 6-0 homestand.
"You can't think along those lines," Judge said. "It's not our last home game, so I'm not worried about it."
No. 60 ties The Sultan of Swat for 2nd all-time in American League history!<a href="https://twitter.com/TheJudge44?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheJudge44</a> 👨⚖️ <a href="https://t.co/DNwFXsJFMC">pic.twitter.com/DNwFXsJFMC</a>
New York has won seven straight and can clinch the AL East title with a victory over the Blue Jays on Monday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET.
Judge expects his parents will follow him to Toronto and be in attendance again.
For <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a>, it's about WC seeding now. They're 2.0 games ahead of TB for top AL WC. SEA 2.5 back.<br><br>TB, TOR: 9G left. SEA: 10G left. But both TB & SEA have tie-breaker edge > TOR<br><br>For ex: If Rays go 5-4, Jays must go at least 4-5 to stay ahead. If SEA goes 6-4, Jays must go 4-5
"Oh, yeah. I hope so. They're retired. They've got nothing to do. So they better be there," he said.
Judge, who is on pace to hit 63.9 home runs, has gone five games without clearing the fence. Since connecting for No. 60 on Tuesday night against Pittsburgh to spark a ninth-inning comeback, he is 4-for-15 with three doubles, six walks and six strikeouts.
The closest he's come to matching Maris' 1961 mark was a 404-foot drive caught right in front of the centre-field fence Thursday.
The Yankees, who have 10 games remaining in the regular season, return home for three games against Baltimore this weekend before wrapping up the regular season at Texas.
On Sunday, Judge started at designated hitter for the 22nd time this season and first since both games of a doubleheader Sept. 7 against Minnesota.
He hasn't been out of the starting lineup since July 12, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone didn't rule out resting the 30-year-old slugger while he's still chasing Maris.
"I'm just kind of playing it day by day," Boone said. "Hopefully we can get to a point where we have a few days to decide on which makes the most sense and how to rest him where we can."
Auston Matthews of the Leafs will throw out the first pitch at tomorrow's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a> game
With files from CBC Sports
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