Daily Times

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge became the second-fastest player in Major League Baseball history to reach 200 career home runs when he belted his 42nd of the season in an 8-2 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday. Judge’s 364-foot, two-run blast off Royals pitcher Jonathan Heasley in the second inning made him the first Yankee to hit 42 home runs before August 1 — breaking a tie with legendary Babe Ruth who hit 41 through July 31 in 1928. Judge’s 200th career homer came in his 671st major league game. Only Ryan Howard reached the milestone quicker, in 658 games. “Excited to get that one out of the way,” Judge said. “I feel like the big numbers, it’s always tough to get past those. To get that out of the way, plus a win, is pretty sweet.” Judge has six homers in his last six games — nine in 10 games since the All-Star break. With 91 runs-batted-in this season, he has driven in 21 of the Yankees’ last 45 runs.