Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger Become 8th Pair of Rookies to Reach 30 Homers

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger became just the eighth pair of rookies in MLB history to each reach 30 homers following Bellinger's solo shot Wednesday, per MLB Stat of the Day.

Only 28 rookies in MLB history have tallied 30 or more home runs. The last to do so was Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu in 2014, and the last pair of rookies to record the total in the same season was Ryan Braun and Chris Young during 2007, per Baseball Reference.

Judge impressively reached the 30-homer plateau prior to the All-Star break, but his pace has expectedly slowed during the second half, notching just four over 67 at-bats in the second half. Bellinger started the season later and has played 16 fewer games, but he and Jay Bruce both smacked homers to become the fifth and sixth players to hit the milestone this season.

Both Judge and Bellinger hit his way into the Home Run Derby, which Judge eventually won over Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano. Each also earned an All-Star team nod as well, but neither recorded a hit in three at-bats. Judge started in right field for the American League and struck out once while Bellinger replaced Bryce Harper in right field and struck out once himself.

Bellinger and the Dodgers own the best record in MLB by a wide margin, possessing a 75-32 record following Wednesday's loss to the Atlanta Braves. The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak for the Dodgers. Their last loss came against the Braves as well.

Meanwhile, Judge and the Yankees have battled within the division throughout the season, owning a 57-49 record and sitting one game back of the Boston Red Sox entering Thursday's action.

Both clubs made big moves at the non-waiver trade deadline, headlined by ace starting pitchers. The Yankees acquired Sonny Gray from the Oakland Athletics, while the Dodgers swooped in just before the buzzer and snagged Yu Darvish from the Texas Rangers.

Although the two rookies won't square off at any point during the regular season, the two clubs added plenty of talent at the deadline to make a postseason run. The two could play against each other for the first time in the World Series should the two clubs reach it.