Aaron Judge sets AL home run record: Yankees slugger hits No. 62 to top Roger Maris, break single-season mark

There is a brand new American League single-season home run king. Tuesday night New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge swatted his 62nd home run of 2022, breaking a tie with Roger Maris.

Maris in fact hit 61 homers with the 1961 Yankees. 

Judge hit his 62nd homer towards Texas Rangers righty Jesus Tinoco within the first inning of Game 2 of their doubleheader at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Here is Judge’s milestone blast:

“It’s an incredible honor to get a chance to be associated with one of the Yankee greats, one of the baseball greats,” Judge told MLB.com after hitting his 61st homer. “To be enshrined with them forever, words can’t describe it. That’s one thing that’s so special about the Yankee organization, all the guys that came before us and paved the way, played the game the right way.”

Judge hit his 61st home run to tie Maris final Wednesday and he went 3 for 17 with 5 walks and 7 strikeouts within the 5 video games between Nos. 61 and 62. That contains going 1 for five in Game 1 of Tuesday’s doubleheader, throughout which Judge slammed his helmet in frustration within the dugout after popping up a dangling slider.

The No. 62 ball landed in Section 31, Row 1, Seat 3, and the fan who caught it was led by safety to a protected location the place it might be authenticated by MLB. It’s unclear whether or not the ball will probably be turned over to the Yankees and Judge, or one thing else.

Here’s extra on Judge turning into the AL’s single-season home run king.

Mom was there (however Maris Jr. wasn’t)

Judge’s mom, Patty, has attended each Yankees recreation since her son hit his 59th home run on Sept. 18. She went from Yankee Stadium to Toronto, again to Yankee Stadium, then to Texas for this remaining common season collection. And when Judge hit the milestone homer Tuesday, his mom was left speechless.

Not on the ballpark Tuesday: Roger Maris Jr. The predecessor’s son didn’t journey to Texas to watch Judge chase his 62nd homer, although he did attend New York’s earlier 12 video games as Judge chased home runs No. 60 and 61 (and 62). For what it is price, Maris Jr. has not been shy about saying he would contemplate the Judge the “clean” home run king as soon as he hit No. 62.

“I think (Judge breaking the record) means a lot not just for me, but for a lot of people,” Maris Jr. stated about Judge hitting his 61st home run. “He’s clean, he’s a Yankee, he plays the game the right way. I think he gives people a chance to look at somebody who should be revered for hitting 62 home runs and not just as 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 and I think that’s what needs to happen. I think baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.”  

The new AL home run leaderboard

As famous, Judge has now hit extra home runs than any participant within the American League’s 122-year historical past. Here is the brand new AL single-season home run leaderboard:

1. Aaron Judge, 2022 Yankees: 62 (and counting)
2. Roger Maris, 1961 Yankees: 61
3. Babe Ruth, 1927 Yankees: 60
4. Babe Ruth, 1921 Yankees: 59
5. Hank Greenberg, 1938 Tigers: 58
6. Jimmie Foxx, 1932 Athletics: 58

Only Barry Bonds (73 in 2001), Mark McGwire (70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999) and Sammy Sosa (66 in 1998, 64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999) have hit extra home runs in a season than Judge, and so they all performed within the National League.

As for 2022, Judge is lapping the sector in home runs. Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber is a distant second in baseball with 46 homers. No participant has led baseball by as many as 16 home runs since 1932, when Foxx hit 58 and Ruth was the runner-up with 41. Simply put, this is among the most dominant home run seasons within the historical past of the game.

The Triple Crown watch

Oh by the way in which, Judge can also be chasing a Triple Crown, and the main focus now shifts there with No. 62 out of the way in which. Judge has large leads in home runs and RBI, as you’d anticipate. He is chasing Twins infielder Luis Arraez for the batting tile. Here’s the batting race coming into play Tuesday:

1. Luis Arraez, Twins: .315
2. Aaron Judge, Yankees: .311
3. Xander Bogaerts, Red Sox: .305
4. Several tied at .304

Catching Arraez will probably be an actual problem with just one recreation remaining within the common season. Just the actual fact Judge is within the working for the Triple Crown — that he is batting effectively over .300 whereas hitting 60-plus homers — is exceptional. Miguel Cabrera received baseball’s final Triple Crown in 2012.

No. 63?

Judge was faraway from Tuesday’s recreation within the backside of the second inning. He had began 55 consecutive video games, a Ripkenian streak by the requirements of the Yankees and their load administration strategy, and supervisor Aaron Boone just lately stated he hoped to give Judge a time without work earlier than the top of the season. He was even noncommittal about enjoying him in Game 2 of the doubleheader earlier than Judge landed within the lineup.

The Yankees do have one recreation remaining, nevertheless, and Judge may pad his home run whole within the season finale Wednesday. The Rangers are scheduled to begin righty Glenn Otto, a former Yankees prospect who went to Texas within the Joey Gallo commerce, in Wednesday’s recreation. Judge is 0 for 3 towards Otto in his profession.