Aaron Judge made American League history Tuesday night, but the discourse around the “true” home run record persists.
The New York Yankees slugger hit his 62nd home run of the season and broke Roger Maris’ AL record for most homers in a season. The dinger puts Judge seventh in Major League Baseball history for most home runs in a season, unless you ask Roger Maris Jr., who doubled down on his view of the “real” home run leader in a tweet congratulating Judge on hitting No. 62.
“Congratulations to Aaron Judge and his family on Aaron’s historic home run number 62!” Maris Jr. tweeted. “It has definitely been a baseball season to remember. You are all class and someone who should be revered. For the MAJORITY of the fans, we can now celebrate a new CLEAN HOME RUN KING!!”
MLB recognizes Barry Bonds, who hit 73 in 2001, Mark McGwire, who hit 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999 and Sammy Sosa, who hit 66 in 1998, 63 in 1999 and 64 in 2001 as players that had better home run-hitting seasons. They all have also been identified as steroid users, which is a sticking point for some fans, including Maris Jr.
It’s why the trio are not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the decision does not sit well for some baseball fans that don’t really care about the players’ steroid, partly due to the nuanced nature of performance-enhancing drugs — athletes don’t exactly turn into superheroes after using steroids.
The discussion also takes away from a great season Judge is having, especially since he has an opportunity at the Triple Crown this season. But it’s apparently not simple enough to just say Judge has the AL record all to himself.
