It was only a few years ago when Aaron Judge set an American League record for home runs in a season, and now he seems to have his eyes set on a different historic mark.
The Yankees slugger has gotten off to a blistering start in the first third of the MLB season, which is highlighted by a sky-high batting average. For most of the year, Judge has hit at or above the .400 mark, an incredible accomplishment for a player known for his power at the plate.
It’s hard to imagine Aaron Judge improving on his second MVP season in 2024, but that may have happened this year. The outfielder has cut down on his strikeouts to try to collect more hits, but he still is among the league leaders in home runs despite the changes.
So, what kind of history could Judge make if he keeps this up? Here’s a breakdown.
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Aaron Judge batting average
Aaron Judge enters the series vs. the Dodgers with a .391 batting average, which leads all players this year.
It’s rare for a player to even approach hitting .400 in a season, but Judge may contend for the mark if he keeps this up. The two-time MVP has seemingly tweaked his approach at the plate to try and cut down on strikeouts, as his strikeout rate is currently at a career-best number.
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Has anyone batted .400 in a season?
In MLB seasons specifically, 13 players have batted .400 in a single campaign, and the last person to do it was Ted Williams with the Red Sox in 1941. That year, Williams batted .406, which is the eighth-best single-season batting average of all-time.
Here’s a look at every MLB player who has reached the .400 batting average mark in a season:
| Year | Name | Team | Batting Average |
| 1901 | Nap Lajoie | Philadelphia Athletics | .426 |
| 1924 | Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis Cardinals | .424 |
| 1911 | Ty Cobb | Detroit Tigers | .420 |
| 1922 | George Sisler | St. Louis Browns | .420 |
| 1912 | Ty Cobb | Detroit Tigers | .409 |
| 1911 | Joe Jackson | Cleveland Naps | .408 |
| 1920 | George Sisler | St. Louis Browns | .407 |
| 1941 | Ted Williams | Boston Red Sox | .406 |
| 1923 | Harry Heilmann | Detroit Tigers | .403 |
| 1925 | Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis Cardinals | .403 |
| 1922 | Ty Cobb | Detroit Tigers | .401 |
| 1922 | Rogers Hornsby | St. Louis Cardinals | .401 |
| 1930 | Bill Terry | New York Giants | .401 |
Including the Negro Leagues, however, there have been 58 players to bat .400, but no one has done it since the 1948 Negro League season.
Most recently, the player who has come closest to hitting the .400 mark is Tony Gwynn. The Padres outfielder hit .394 in the strike-shortened 1994 season in what is still the highest batting average by a single player since 1980.
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What is the highest single-season batting average ever?
The highest single-season batting average in MLB history belongs to Nap Lajoie, who hit .426 in 1901 while playing for the Philadelphia Athletic.
However, in the Negro Leagues, there were 12 different times in which a player had a higher batting average than Lajoie’s .426 mark, which is highlighted by Tetelo Vargas’ Negro League record of a .471 batting average in 1943. Vargas did that in just 136 plate appearances, whereas Lajoie’s MLB record came with 582 plate appearances.
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