Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees Sets New Record for Home Runs in the American League

On Tuesday, Aaron Judge, the slugger of the New York Yankees, broke the single-season record for the American League by hitting his 62nd home run of the year. The previous record was held by Roger Maris, established in 1961. In the match, Judge managed to hit Texas Rangers starter Jesus Tinoco’s offering over the left field wall in the first inning, thereby securing an early 1-0 lead at Arlington’s Globe Life Field and etching his name into history. With great anticipation, the crowd watched as Judge sent the 1-1 breaking ball towards the outfield at 102 miles per hour (164 km per hour). Subsequently, a fan successfully caught the ball that arrived 391 feet (119 metres) later. Judge’s teammates congratulated him one-by-one, breaking the tie with Maris. Previously, he was unable to do so in the past five games, including one game played earlier on Tuesday. Notably, Barry Bonds holds the overall Major League Baseball (MLB) record for the San Francisco Giants in the National League, where he hit 73 homers in 2001. However, Bonds, like many of MLB’s great sluggers, was tainted by the doping accusations of the so-called “Steroid Era.” Judge, on the other hand, believes that 73 is the record, and considers it to be the rightful benchmark. Nevertheless, Roger Maris Jr., the son of the late Roger Maris, expressed that Judge’s accomplishment is different. In a tweet, he congratulated Aaron Judge, his family, and celebrated a new “clean home run king” for the majority of fans.