BALTIMORE - At 6-7, 282 pounds, it's no surprise that Aaron Judge has won a few home run titles.

However, the Yankees' captain is more than just a hulking slugger, as he entered Saturday's game against the Orioles with a major league-leading .327 average. With eight games left in the regular season, Judge has a strong shot at becoming the tallest batting champion in MLB history.

"I'm not trying to go out and break any mold," said Judge, who added that he never thought he'd contend for a batting title growing up. "I've got a job to do. Especially playing for the Yankees, I gotta go out there and get on base as many times as I can, drive guys in as many times as I can."

So far, the tallest batting champs have all been 6-5. The list includes three Hall of Famers in Dave Parker (1977 and 1978), Frank Thomas (1997) and Joe Mauer (2006, 2008 and 2009), as well as John Olerud (1993) and Derrek Lee (2005).

Judge, who went 1-for-4 in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Orioles, does have some competition for the batting title. Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson took a .317 average into play on Saturday, while Toronto's Bo Bichette is sitting on the injured list with a .311 average.

A more prototypical candidate for a batting title, Wilson is 6-2 and 190 pounds. He also had 13 home runs.

Judge had 48.

"Not too many guys can hit for that type of power and that type of average," Wilson said earlier this season.

The Yankees have also been blown away by Judge's ability to excel in both departments, as he and Shohei Ohtani's 106 homers lead the majors since the start of 2024. Judge's .325 average is first over that span, as are his 248 RBI, 1.143 OPS and 210 wRC+.

"The more impressive thing is to be as refined and as accomplished a hitter as he is at that size," Aaron Boone said. "The reality is, just over time, you haven't seen that many really tall people be great hitters. There's a great advantage if you can figure it out and become a good hitter because you have strength and leverage that smaller guys don't. But it is a testament to how good he is at his craft."

Boone added that Judge has gotten "incrementally better" at controlling the strike zone, which has helped him produce another MVP-worthy campaign as Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh puts the finishing touches on a historic year.

Judge flirted with a batting title in his first two MVP seasons, but he lost steam while chasing the American League's single-season home run record in 2022 and came in second behind former Twin Luis Arraez (.316 to .311). Last year, Judge placed third with a .322 average, as Kansas City's Bobby Witt Jr. hit .332. Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit .323.

With another chance at a batting title, Judge isn't keeping an eye on the statistical leaderboards as he prepares for the final week of the regular season. Instead, he is focused on helping the Yankees finish strong before October, when he will look to improve on a .205 postseason average.

"I just feel like I'm doing my job," Judge said of his batting title candidacy. "I don't really look at it as anything other than I'm trying to do my job."

Yankees' Aaron Judge has chance to become baseball's tallest batting champ