Aaron Judge hits 62nd homer to tie Maris’ AL record

ARLINGTON, Texas — Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season on Tuesday night, breaking Roger Morris’ American League record and setting what some fans consider baseball’s “pure” standard.

A long pursuit of the mark set in 1961 ended when the 30-year-old The Yankees shortstop drove a 1-1 slider from Texas right-hander Jesus Tinoco into the front row in left field, starting the second game of the day and night in New York.

After No. 99 took a smooth, hard swing, he had a big smile on his face as he rounded the bases and his Yankees teammates streamed out of the dugout to celebrate with him. They stayed away from home plate, allowing Judge to step on it before sharing hugs and high fives.

Barry Bonds holds the major league record with 73 home runs, set with the San Francisco Giants in 2001.

Judge’s mother and father were in the stands to see him end a five-game hitless streak, including going 1-for-5 with a single in Game 1 of a doubleheader.

The ball was caught by Corey Youmans of Dallas, who was sitting in the 31 section. When asked what he will do with the ball while being taken away by security to check the ball’s authenticity, Youmans replied: “Good question. I didn’t think about it.”

Another fan was led away after jumping over the railing and into the gap between the seats and the left field wall.

Judge, who is eligible to become a free agent after this season, struck out to a full fielder when he struck out again in the second.

He singled to right field in the bottom of the inning before manager Aaron Boone pulled him from the game. Oswaldo Cabrera, who was on second base, singled to right field and the batter received another loud ovation as he jogged back into the Yankees’ dugout on the third-base side.

The reaction quickly spread far beyond the football field.

“History made, more history to come,” President Joe Biden wrote on Twitter.

Former Yankees star Derek Jeter tweeted: “Congratulations to @TheJudge44 on 62! Next postseason!!!”

Morris’ 61 for the Yankees had been surpassed six times before, but all were tainted by the stench of steroids. Along with Bonds’ record, Mark McGwire hit 70 for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and 65 the following year. Sammy Sosa of the Chicago Cubs had 66, 65 and 63 in four seasons starting in 1998.

McGwire admitted to using banned steroids, while Bonds and Sosa denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Major League Baseball began testing with PED penalties in 2004, and some fans—perhaps many—still believed Maris to be the legitimate record holder.

A Ruthian figure with a smile as big as his body, the 6-foot-7 umpire rocked the major leagues with a series of deep drives that hearken back to the sepia-toned cinematography of his legendary streaky predecessors.

“He’s got to be respected for being a true single-season home run champion,” Roger Maris Jr. said Wednesday night after the umpire compared his father’s mark. “I think baseball needs to look at the records, and I think baseball needs to do something.”

Judge has only scored once in his last 13 games, and that was when he hit No. 61 last Wednesday at Toronto. The doubleheader at Texas was his 55th straight since Aug. 5.

Judge went 3 for 17 with five walks and a hit after passing the 60 home run hit by Babe Ruth in 1927 that stood as a major league record for 34 years. On October 1, 1961, Maris hit his 61st home run against Boston’s Tracy Stallard at the old Yankee Stadium.

Judge has a chance to become the first AL Triple Crown winner since Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera in 2012. He leads the AL with 131 RBI and began the day behind Minnesota’s Luis Aras, who is hitting .315.

The home run in his first at-bat returned him to the .311 mark he started with the day before he lost the leadoff hit.

The achievement of the judge will cause endless arguments.

“To me, the record holder for home runs in a season is Roger Maris,” writer George Will said earlier this month. “There’s no hint that we’re seeing better baseball than better chemistry with Judge. He is clean. He doesn’t do anything that makes other players put their health at risk.”