It’s been 61 years since Roger Maris captured the baseball world 61 times in 1961. Now, Maris has some company in the pinstripe tradition.
Aaron Judge launched his 61st home run of the season on Wednesday against the Blue Jays, tying the Maris to MLS records. The huge blast came in the seventh inning off Tim Meeza, and he passed judge Babe Ruth on the home run list for one season.
The judge’s 61st game came in the 155th game for the Yankees and the 151st game for the judge. Maris is best known for breaking Ruth’s record on the last day of season 61.
Judge is the first player to score 60 home runs since 2001, when Barry Bonds (73) and Sammy Sosa (64) both accomplished the feat. Outside of the four-year period from 1998 to 2001 that saw six of 60 seasons – three by Sosa, two by Mark McGuire and one Bonds – Ruth, Maris and Judge are the only other people to reach a milestone in the sport’s history.
Judge leads the bigs in nearly every offensive class, and also tops all three Triple Crown stats: hitting average, ground runs, RBIs, and the last two by insurmountable margins. If he is able to hold the lead on average, he will become the first Triple Crown winner in a decade and only second in 55 years. He would also be the first Yankee to pull it off since Mickey Mantle in 1956.
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