The final three days of the MLB regular season have arrived and the only thing standing between Aaron Judge and the triple crown is Minnesota Twins leadoff hitter Luis Arraez.
Entering play Monday, Judge leads the American League with 61 home runs and 130 RBIs. His .311 batting average ranks second in the AL, just 0.04 points behind Arraez (.315). The next closest is Boston’s Xander Bogaerts at .305.
If Judge passes Arraez, he’ll become the second player in the past 55 years to win the batting triple crown. Miguel Cabrera did it with the Tigers in 2012 when he led the league with a .330 batting average, 44 home runs and 139 RBIs. Before him, you have to go all the way back to 1967 when Carl Yastrzemski won it with the Red Sox.
Here’s how Judge, who is also striving for his 62nd home run to set the record in the American League, has fared in his career against the starters the Rangers are scheduled to go with in their four-game series, which includes a doubleheader Tuesday (only three starters have been announced).
- Judge vs. Martin Perez: 1-for-9
- Judge vs. Glenn Otto: 0-for-3
- Judge vs. Jon Gray: 0-for-1
Arraez will face the White Sox with a chance to win his first batting title.
- Arraez vs. Johnny Cueto: 3-for-9
- Arraez vs. Lucas Giolito: 6-for-26
- Arreaz vs. Davis Martin: 1-for-2
The last Twin to win the batting title was Joe Mauer, who did it in 2006, 2008 and 2009.
Note: Yuriel Gurriel’s .319 batting average to win the AL title in 2021 was the lowest for a batting champ in either league since Tony Gwynn won it with a .313 average in 1988.
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