At the start of the 2017 MLB season, the New York Yankees were hardly thought of as World Series favorites or even contenders. Historically the most accomplished team in baseball, the Yankees were considered the be in a rare rebuild phase after recently losing Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Andrew Miller, and other valuable assets.

A considerably younger Yankees team, nicknamed the Baby Bombers, surprised New York and the league with an exhilarating run for the championship. With few expectations to meet, the Yankees fought their way through a wild card game matchup against the Twins, back from an 0-2 ALDS series start to win in five games against the favored Indians, and lastly all the way to game seven in the ALCS against the Astros who went on to beat the Dodgers in the World Series.

No player breathed as much vitality into the franchise as Aaron Judge, the rookie from California. Throughout his first full season in the major leagues, Judge rapidly rose to stardom as he harnessed his size and power and demonstrated unprecedented offensive prowess. Although Judge ended the season leading the league in strikeouts and suffered occasional home run droughts (his longest lasting 15 games consecutive games), he steadily climbed to break the rookie regular season home run record. Judge hit 52 home runs against 47 pitchers in 18 ballparks.

Nine of those were hit with a full count and one of them stands as the league’s longest home run hit for the season at 496 feet. The Yankees won 69% of the games Judge homered in compared to 51% of the games in which he didn’t. The team’s average and median win expectancy probability at the end of each of Judge’s home run plays was 67% and 75% respectively. On average, Judge’s performance increased the probability of a Yankees win by 9.3% in games when he homered.

On May 28th, the Yankees were down 2-1 to the Oakland A’s in the bottom of the third inning. The bases were loaded with two outs. Judge hit his 16th HR of the season for his first career grand slam. It was Judge’s first HR at Yankee Stadium since the installation of the “Judge’s Chambers” section, and the hit was a line drive to deep right field straight toward it. After six consecutive homer-less games, Judge tied the current league HR leader and put the Yankees ahead in a game they won 9-5.