Aaron Judge sets new American League record with 62nd home run
![New York Yankees' Aaron Judge follows hits a solo home run, his 62nd of the season, as Texas Rangers catcher Sam Huff, left, and umpire Randy Rosenberg look on in the first inning of the second game of a doubleheader in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/10/05/e0337f66-2b4b-4375-ba68-26f83f1f8f5e.jpg)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge follows hits a solo home run, his 62nd of the season, as Texas Rangers catcher Sam Huff, left, and umpire Randy Rosenberg look on in the first inning of the second game of a doubleheader in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge made history on Tuesday night, hitting his 62nd home run of the 2022 MLB season to beat Roger Maris's long-standing American League record.
Judge’s 62nd big fly came on Tuesday night at Globe Life Field as the New York Yankees slugger drove a 1-1 slider from Texas Rangers right-hander Jesús Tinoco into the left field.
Judge’s 61st home run, tying the record with Maris, had come a week earlier on Sept. 28 off a pitch from Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios, the same pitcher that gave up Judge’s very first home run of the 2022 season.
Maris’ 61-home-run season led the entire major league until 1998, when Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs, with Barry Bonds setting the current MLB record of 73 homers in 2001.
Judge now has not only beaten the American League record, but also have hit the most home runs of any player ever that we can say with some confidence is not taking steroids.
The 62 mark has been broken six times: Once by Bonds with 73 in 2001; twice by McGwire with 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999; and by Sammy Sosa three times, with 66 in 1998, 64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999.
The MLB began actively testing for steroids in 2003, with Sosa later banned for use of performance enhancing drugs. McGwire has publicly admitted to taking steroids, while Bonds has regularly faced accusations of steroid use.
The majors now regularly test for steroid use, leaving Judge as potentially the first player to pass the 62 mark without any doubt cast over how sportingly he reached the milestone.
The Yankees will play the last of the four-game series against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday afternoon.
BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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