PITTSBURGH — Shortly after the 1,000th game of Aaron Judge’s career concluded, a reporter asked Aaron Boone to evaluate the slugger’s body of work thus far. “You’re doing alright, kid,” Boone jokingly responded after the Yankees’ 9-4 win over the Pirates on Friday. “Keep it up.” Ju dge, now in the early stages of his 10th big league season, has put together one hell of a résumé. He has won two MVP Awards — in 2022 and 2024 — a Rookie of the Year and four Silver Sluggers. A six-time All-Star and the American League record holder for longballs in a single season, he now has 321 career homers after hitting a two-run shot off the Pirates’ Tim Mayza in the seventh inning of Friday’s game. That’s 42 more homers than any other player has had in their first 1,000 games, per MLB’s Sarah Langs. It’s also the same number Babe Ruth had in his first 1,000 games with the Yankees. Judge is also a .289/.406/.608 hitter with 733 RBI, 502 extra-base hits and a 52.2 fWAR for his career. With numbers like that, is the Yankees’ captain already a Hall of Famer? “Yes,” Boone said, matter of fact. The manager then explained that Judge is “one of this generation’s greatest players. I mean, I think it’s a no-brainer.” Aaron Judge has played seven games this season. Aaron Judge has hit SIX home runs this season! pic.twitter.com/Yx9PQzGix4 — MLB (@MLB) April 4, 2025 Judge, always resistant to self-adulation, tried to downplay his manager’s compliment. “It’s great praise, but I live in the present,” Judge said. “We got things to do. Got a lot of work to do, so we’ll talk about that in a couple years.” Asked if the Hall of Fame is goal of his, Judge added, “Right now, no, because I’m worried about the game we just had. It’s something we’ll talk about down the road.” While Judge didn’t care to engage in the Hall of Fame discourse, Jazz Chisholm Jr. agreed wholeheartedly with Boone. “One-hundred percent,” the second baseman told the Daily News. “The numbers speak for themselves. We all watch him play every day. He’s the best player out there every time he steps out there. So when you’re the best player out there every time you step out there, you’re a guaranteed Hall of Famer to me. “He definitely destroys teams every time. He breaks a lot of hearts out there. It’s great just being able to watch greatness and be behind it and learn from him.” Oswaldo Cabrera, who had four RBI on Friday, also found himself ready to enshrine Judge in Cooperstown. “He’s the G.O.A.T. He’s the best,” Cabrera said. “He is one of the best players ever.” Most HR in first 1,000 games with Yankees 321 Babe Ruth321 Aaron Judge259 Alex Rodriguez 224 Joe DiMaggio218 Mickey Mantle212 Lou Gehrig — New York Yankees Stats (@nyyankeesstats) April 4, 2025 While Judge’s Hall of Fame prospects became a topic of discussion after Friday’s game — which also saw him make a leaping catch into PNC Park’s right field wall — he still has a long way to go before he becomes an official candidate. Only 32, Judge has a lot of baseball left to play, as well as a few milestones he’d like to achieve. Winning a World Series is at the top of the list after a few bad postseasons, but it’s hard to argue against the idea that he is already deserving of a spot among baseball’s immortals. For now, Judge will try to stay hot at the plate as he defends his latest MVP title. On Friday, he became the first player in MLB history with six home runs and 17 RBI through his team’s first seven games in a season. At the time of publication, the Astros and Rockies’ entire teams had fewer homers and RBI. Judge is also hitting .379 with a 1.558 OPS, leaving his teammates in disbelief. “It’s incredible, game in, game out, what he’s able to do: change a game with one swing at any moment,” said newcomer Max Fried, who also hyped Judge as a teammate and defender. “I’ve said it before, but I’m really happy that I’m on his team now.” Cody Bellinger, another Yankees newbie, shared a similar reaction recently. “To see it with your own eyes, it’s special,” Bellinger said. “He’s the best in the game.” ...read more read less