On Tuesday, Yankees star Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the year and put a definitive stamp on one of the great single-season performances by any hitter in baseball history. Aaron broke Roger Maris’s long-standing American League record.
Previously, in 1961, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in the penultimate game of the regular season for the Yankees. Now, after 61 years, Judge finally surpassed Maris’s AL homer mark. Babe Ruth was the person who made 60 home runs for the Yankees in 1927, the first AL homer mark.
Now, Judge stands at first for the AL homer mark, while Maris stands on 2nd, and Babe stands on the third.
Two weeks ago, Judge hit his 60th home run against Pittsburgh, and after this, he had come to bat 53 times. The record-breaker homer came on an 88mph slider that hung a bit too high over the plate.
Judge is vying to become the first Triple Crown winner in a decade, and he handled his team to first place in baseball’s toughest division.
Aaron is not only a homer record breaker but also the AL leader in runs scored, bases on balls, and slugging percentage for those keeping score at home.
In this season, Aaron bet on himself turning down a seven-year, $213.5m contract extension because he was confident he was worth more. This winter, he will sign one of the richest deals in baseball history.
Joe Biden, US president, offers congratulations to Aaron by writing on Twitter, History made, more history to make.
