Toronto. Aaron Judge tied the American League record of 61 homers in a season, set by Roger Maris, by hitting a home run for the New York Yankeeswho beat the Toronto Blue Jays.
The 30-year-old slugger found a fastball from Tim Mayza, with a full count and 94.5 mph, and sent the ball over the left-field fence in the seventh inning of the game at Rogers Center.
The ball went flying at 117 mph and landed 394 feet from home plate to break the tie and put the Yankees up 5-3. She hit the front of the stands, just shy of two fans who reached over the railing in an unsuccessful attempt to catch her.
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It eventually fell into the Toronto bullpen, where coach Matt Buschmann picked it up. Then he turned it over to the Yankees.
Judge thus exceeded the 60 home runs achieved by Babe Ruth in 1927, which had been the major league record until Maris broke it in 1961. The three stars reached those figures playing for the Yankees.
Barry Bonds set the major league record with 73 homers for the San Francisco Giants in 2001.
Judge’s mother and Roger Maris Jr. stood and hugged in the front rows. Judge seemed to point to them as he circled down second.
He received congratulations from his teammates when he stepped on the plate.
Judge had gone without a homer in seven games — his longest drought of the season was nine in mid-August. This was the Yankees’ 155th game of the season – they have seven more to go in the regular season.
The home run came in Judge’s fourth at-bat of the night, ending a streak of 34 plate appearances without a home run.
Judge is batting .313 with 130 RBIs, totals that are also the best in the AL. He has a chance to be the first Triple Crown winner since Miguel Cabrera with Detroit in 2012.
Maris hit his 61st homer with the Yankees on Oct. 1, 1961, off Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox.
It was 61 years ago, in 1961, that Roger Maris’ 61 homers set an AL record. Tonight, No. 99 has caught No. 9 in the record books. #AaronJudge pic.twitter.com/Iszg0yUAHz
â YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 29, 2022
Maris’ mark has been broken six times, but all have been tainted by suspected steroids.
Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988 and 65 the following year. Bonds overcame him.
Sammy Sosa had 66, 65 and 63 four-corner sticks during a four-year stretch that began in 1998.
McGwire confessed to the use of prohibited steroids. Bonds and Sosa have denied it.
Major League Baseball began sanctioning tests for performance-enhancing drugs in 2004, and some fans, perhaps most, still consider Maris to be the last record holder who didn’t cheat.
The Yankees, who clinched their 20th AL East title a night earlier, won for the ninth time in 10 games.
Geritt Cole (13-7) gave up three runs and as many hits in his 6 1/3 innings.
For the Yankees, the Venezuelans Oswaldo Cabrera 4-1 with two runs scored, Oswald Peraza 5-2 with a run scored and one produced, Marwin GonzĂĄlez 4-0 with an RBI.
For the Blue Jays, the Dominicans Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 3-0 with an RBI, Teoscar HernĂĄndez 4-0, Raimel Tapia 4-0. Mexican Alejandro Kirk 1-0.
