Sixty-one years after Roger Maris captivated baseball with his pursuit of Babe Ruth‘s home run record, a new king emerges. Aaron Judge made history on Tuesday with his 62nd home run of the season, breaking fellow Yankee Maris’ American League record set back in 1961. Leading off in the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers, Judge launched a 1-1 slider from Jesus Tinoco into the left field seats of Globe Life Field.
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“(It is an) honor to be associated with Maris,” Judge said last Wednesday after tying the record. “I can’t even describe it. It’s such an honor to know what Maris did in this game. To get a chance to tie Roger Maris, that’s stuff you dream about.” From Ruth to Maris and now Judge, the American League record books are stitched together in pinstripes. The overall record, of course, was swallowed up six different times by steroid-bound sluggers long before Big No. 99 entered the league. Now in an era where players are regularly tested for performance-enhancing drugs, Judge’s home run chase has rekindled the enthusiasm for a milestone once spoiled.
The record also continues a magical season for Aaron Judge in which he leads baseball in several offensive categories. Judge will, however, be a free agent this offseason, and several teams – including the Mets and Red Sox – will attempt to lure him away from the Bronx. Before then, the Yankees must turn their attention back to the real goal – bringing a championship back to New York. The Yankees enter the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the American League. They’ll take on the winner of a Wild Card matchup beginning Tuesday, October 11th.
You can watch Aaron Judge’s record-breaking home run below. Lastly, for more in sports, The Most Infamous Ball in the NBA: A Retrospective.
