Aaron Judge tied the American League single-season home run record, going deep in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 8-3 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
It took him 35 plate appearances across seven games between No. 60 and 61, but Judge tied Yankees legend Roger Maris for the record that was set back in 1961.
Maris’ son, Roger Maris Jr., has been in attendance for Yankees games for more than a week and was in Toronto to witness history. While cameras picked up Maris Jr. and his family in the suite at Yankee Stadium or in the seats at Rogers Centre, he and Judge never met until Wednesday.
Maris said he didn’t want to be a distraction to the team or Judge as he chased the home run mark, but once No. 61 was hit it was finally time to meet. Maris described the meeting as nice and he told the Yankees slugger the irony that this happened Wednesday.
“It’s the ninth day I’ve been here. He wears 99, dad wears 9. It’s kinda weird that it all went together,” Maris said after the game. “Now we’re going to Yankee Stadium and he’ll probably hit 62 on Oct. 1 when dad hit his 61st. All the weird similarities between him and my dad is ironic.”
“I’ll keep most of it between us, but he really was just congratulating [me],” Judge said of his meeting with Maris. “He was saying he’s gotten to spend a lot of time with my family and get a chance to meet them. He just had a lot of good words to say and I just really thanked him and said what an honor it was, and getting a chance to be associated with his father is something that – you dream about things like that.”
Judge will forever be associated with Maris, but if it was up to his son this season would mean a lot more to baseball.
Baseball fans know that Maris held the single-season home run record for almost 40 years, but it has been broken a couple of times.
Mark McGwire hit 70 in 1998 in that home run chase with Sammy Sosa. And Barry Bonds eclipsed McGwire with 73 just three years later in 2001. However, those accomplishments are shrouded in controversy due to alleged PED use.
Over the last few weeks, arguments that Judge's impending passing of Maris should be the “real” home run record for a single season have gone on and on. And Maris is seemingly at the forefront of that conversation.
“I think it means a lot for a lot of people,” Maris said. “That he’s clean, he’s a Yankee, he plays the game the right way. He gives people a chance to look at someone who should be revered for hitting 62 home runs and not just a guy who did it in the American League.
“He should be revered for being the actual single-season home run champ. That’s really who he is if he hits 62. I think that’s what needs to happen. I think baseball needs to look at the records and baseball needs to do something.”
Strong words, but for that topic to be broached Judge will have to hit No. 62. And while it’s very likely to happen before the regular season ends, it's easier said than done, as Judge can attest to.
Judge will get his first chance at surpassing the AL record Friday against the Baltimore Orioles.
