New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is the all-time American League leader for home runs in a season.
With his 62nd blast of 2022, Judge passed Roger Maris. Judge’s historic season — and chase for the record — captured the national zeitgeist in a why so few baseball storylines have done in recent memory.
Judge’s 62 home runs are the most in the post-steroid era. Barry Bonds (73), Mark McGwire (70, 65) and Sammy Sosa (66, 64, 63) are the only other players to put together more powerful seasons. None of them got voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by writers because of varying levels of performance-enhancing drug allegations.
Judge’s historic homer came in the first inning of New York’s 161st game against the Rangers in Choctaw Stadium. He had been stuck on 61 for four games — a stretch that featured live cut-ins to his at-bats during other sporting events.
President Joe Biden tweeted a congratulatory message to Judge on Tuesday.
Judge, who will become a free agent this winter, turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension from the Yankees before the season. His monster year will earn him much more than that.
Judge leads MLB in home runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and runs scored. He’s just a hair shy in batting average of the AL triple crown.
The Giants are expected to be one of many teams interested in prying Judge away from the Yankees. MLB insiders peg San Francisco as a frontrunner.
Judge grew up in Linden, California and went to Fresno State. As a kid, he wore No. 35 because his favorite player was Rich Aurilia.
Bonds himself was rooting for Judge to break the AL record, and also for his former team to sign him. Bonds currently serves as a special advisor in San Francisco’s front office.
In a Zoom call with local media earlier this month, Giants chairman Greg Johnson said “we’re well aware of the guy who hits in the Bronx.”
Evan Longoria, the veteran third baseman who has his own career decisions to make, told reporters in San Diego that he expects the Giants to contend next year. Signing a player like Judge would certainly help the Giants recover from a middling 2022 campaign.
“Obviously, they’ve talked about (Aaron) Judge, they’ve talked about Trea Turner,” Longoria told reporters Monday. “I don’t see this organization and Farhan as a wait-and-see type organization. There’s been too much success here over the years. I think he understands that the fan base wants to win, and that’s a good thing. I don’t see him taking four or five years to rebuild completely from the bottom.
