By Judah Goldemberg and Max Friedman
On Tuesday October 4th, Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking the American League record previously set by former Yankee Roger Maris 61 years prior. Judge’s home run came in the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers. The home run came in first inning and was only third ball pitched, allowing him to secure the record early on in the game.
Judge's achievement raised a question as to whether his AL record should be considered the MLB home run record. Many believe Judge should replace Barry Bonds, the current record holder who broke the record in 2001, slugging 73 home runs. It was later found out that Bonds, along with Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, were all using steroids at the time. McGwire and Sosa had also previously broken the single season home run record. Some believe Aaron Judge is the rightful home run king of the league, while others believe he should only be considered as the American League holder.
Judge will have finished the season with a .311 average, 131 RBI’s, and .425 on base percentage to go along with the 62 homers. He will presumably be crowned MVP of the American League, once the postseason is over. However, Judge and the Yankees have their eyes set on a bigger goal — a 28th World Series victory. As the postseason begins many of us speculate that Judge will continue his regular season magic and lead the Yankees deep into the playoffs, and maybe even to a World Series win. The Yankees are set to play the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Divisional Series starting on October 11th.