Yankees star Judge hits 62nd home run to break Maris’ AL record




Stephen Hawkins, Associated Press



Posted Tuesday, October 4, 2022 at 9:01 PM EDT





Last updated Tuesday, October 4, 2022 9:01 pm EDT

Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season Tuesday night, breaking Roger Maris’ American League record and setting what some fans consider baseball’s “clean” standard.

The 30-year-old Yankees slugger drove a 1-1 slider from Texas right-hander Jesus Tinoco to the front row of seats in left field to open the second game of New York’s day-night doubleheader.

After the No. 99 made a smooth, powerful swing, he had a wide smile on his face as he rounded the bases and his Yankees teammates came off the bench to celebrate with him. They stayed away from home plate, letting Judge step on it before sharing hugs and high-fives.

Judge’s mother and father were in the stands to watch Judge end a five-game homerless streak, including Game 1 of the doubleheader when he went 1-for-5 with a single.

The ball was caught by a fan in Section 31, who was then taken to security to authenticate the ball.

Another fan was escorted away after jumping from seats into a gap between the seats and the left field wall.

Maris’ 61 for the Yankees in 1961 had been exceeded six times previously, but all were tainted by the stench of steroids. Mark McGwire hit 70 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and 65 the following year. Barry Bonds hit an MLB record with 73 for the San Francisco Giants in 2001, and the Chicago Cubs’ Sammy Sosa had 66, 65 and 63 during a four-season stretch that began in 1998.

McGwire admitted to using banned steroids, while Bonds and Sosa denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball began testing PED penalties in 2004, and some fans, perhaps many, have thus far regarded Maris as the legitimate record holder.

A rutian figure with a smile as big as his body, the 6-foot-7 judge has rocked the major leagues with a series of deep shots that harken back to the sepia-toned film reels of his legendary pinstripe predecessors.

“He should be revered for being the true single-season home run champion,” Roger Maris Jr. said Wednesday night after Judge matched his father’s mark. “I think baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.”

Judge had homered just once in the past 13 games, and that was when he hit No. 61 last Wednesday at Toronto. The night cup doubleheader in Texas was their 55th consecutive game since Aug. 5.

Judge went 3-for-17 with five walks and one hit per pitch since topping Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs in 1927, which had stood as the major league record for 34 years. Maris landed his 61st hit against Boston’s Tracy Stallard at old Yankee Stadium on October 1, 1961.

Judge has a chance to become the first AL Triple Crown winner since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012. He leads the AL with 131 RBIs and started the day behind Minnesota’s Luis Arraez, who was hitting .315.

The home run in his first at-bat got him back to .311, where he had started the day before dropping a point in Game 1.

The judge’s achievement will spark endless debate.

“To me, the single-season home run record holder is Roger Maris,” author George Will said earlier this month. “There is no hint of suspicion that we are seeing better baseball than better chemistry in Judge’s case. He is clean. He is not doing something that forces other players to jeopardize his health.”


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