Aaron Judge ties Ruth at 60

The baseball record books are soon to be rewritten.

AARON JUDGE HITS HOME RUN NO. 6️⃣0️⃣‼️

Judge joins Babe Ruth and Roger Maris as the only Yankees to hit 60 HR in a season🗽 pic.twitter.com/NxGS3JjeuC

— ESPN (@espn) September 21, 2022

Aaron Judge launched his 60th homerun of the season last night.

What 60 Means

Aaron Judge is etching his name in baseball history. In the American League, the only other players to ever hit 60 homeruns in a season are Babe Ruth and Roger Maris.

In 1927, Babe Ruth was the first player to hit 60, breaking the American League record he set seasons prior. Then, 34 years later Roger Maris broke Ruth’s record by hitting 61 in the 1961 season. Since then, no one has touched the mark of 60. Until last night, when Aaron Judge sent a solo shot deep into the left-field bleachers in the bottom of the ninth.

Take a bow, Aaron Judge!! Home run No. 60 in all of its glory! pic.twitter.com/9f3F853npk

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 21, 2022

Judge is now one away from tying Maris’ record of 61 homeruns. Here is what Judge has to say about being in the conversation with these Yankees legends.

With 15 games left, all eyes turn to Judge. Every at bat is must-watch TV, with fans wanting to see the record-breaking homerun. The Maris family was in attendance for the game last night and will be watching in the stands as Judge threatens the record.

AL Homerun Record History

Judge is on the cusp of breaking a record that has stood for more than 50 years. The last time someone overtook the American League record for homeruns in a season they lost their hair.

When Maris was approaching Ruth’s record he went through a tremendous amount of stress. He and his family would receive death threats from fans. Ruth was a god in the eyes of baseball fans then, they didn’t want someone to break his record. Indeed, Maris’ hair fell out due to the scrutiny and pressure of the homerun race. It took a toll on him.

Today is a little different. Fans want to see the record broken and that is who Judge is doing it for.

Judge is taking everything in stride. He is on pace to hit 66 homeruns this year at his current rate. Which is a reason why this homerun record chase differs from Maris’. Judge is well ahead of the pace.

There was controversy when Maris hit 61 because the MLB just elongated the schedule. Ruth hit 60 in 154 games and Maris had 162 to do it. Many claimed that Maris’ wasn’t the true homerun champion because of this. But, Maris only had 7 more plate appearances than Ruth in their respective seasons, meaning this advantage was not what it was made out to be.

Judge doesn’t have to worry about this as he has hit 60 in 147 games. Seven games before Ruth hit the mark.

Throughout this historical run,  Judge continues to keep the focus on the team and preparing to win games.

With 15 games to go, baseball fans could witness something they may never see again. Judge has produced one of the best offensive seasons ever.

He hit 60 last night, but also took the lead in American League batting average. Meaning he now leads the American League in homeruns, batting average and RBIs. If the season were to finish today, he would win the American League triple crown. He would be only the second player since 1967 to reach this feat.

Aaron Judge’s 2022 season is one baseball will never forget.