New York Yankees quarterback Aaron Judge hit a record 61st home run of the season on Wednesday night, joining Roger Maris for the American League (and Yankees) single-season home run record.
There’s a large section of baseball fans (and the media) that still consider 61 as the “real” home run record as a measure of discounting the steroid-age numbers from the 1990s and 2000s. You may include Roger Maris Jr. among those fans.
Speaking to the media Wednesday night after Judge’s 61st home run, Maris Jr said that if Judge finishes on his 62nd leg of the season, he should be revered as a champion. win a real home run for a season, not just in the American League, but in all of Major League Baseball.
“He’s clean, he’s a Yankee, he plays the game the right way,” said Maris Jr. , not just like a guy did it American league. He should be revered for being an actual one-season home running champion. That’s really who he is, and if he hits 62, I think that’s what has to happen.”
Understandably, Maris Jr wanted to see his father’s record as the true benchmark to achieve. But you simply can’t delete records just because you don’t like who did it or how they did it. Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in a season, and until someone hits 74, that will be the record. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa both have more than 62 home runs in a season. Those seasons happened.
That doesn’t detract from the incredible year Judge is having. This was truly a legendary year that saw him set franchise records home, lead the major leagues by a hefty margin, and he even managed to win the American League’s Triple Crown. . He was so wonderful.
That’s not the all-time home run record in Major League Baseball. That is okay.
