Social Media reacts to Judge hitting No. 62 and breaking Maris’ home run record
The New York Yankee outfielder hit a 1-run home run in the first inning against the Texas Rangers and became the all-time single-season home run leader
Aaron Judge went yard for the New York Yankees against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night and beat Roger Maris’ American League record of 61 home runs in a season. Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas went wild and so did Twitter.
Judge breaks Maris’ single-season home run record
The Yankee right fielder smashed a 1-1 pitch at the top of the first to put his team ahead 1-0. Judge finally got a pitch to hit as opposing pitchers had been keeping the ball out of the strike zone ever since he hit his 61st home run on Sept. 28.
That home run ball was caught by a fan who was quickly removed from his seat by security to keep his prize possession safe. It is unclear at the moment what will happen to the ball or exactly how much it is worth, but some estimates put the ball’s value at $1.25 million.
Judge had already broken Babe Ruth’s 1927 major league record of 60 home runs, which stood until Maris broke it in 1961. All three stars reached those lofty heights while playing for the Yankees. This week another MLB surpassed the Babe when Albert Pujols got his 2,216th RBI, putting him in second place in the category only behind Atlanta Braves legend Hank Aaron.
The pressure is now off of Judge as he leads the Yankees into the postseason. The pressure on the slugger was evident during his last games and the frustration of not getting pitched to was also apparent.
The Triple Crown will have to wait for Judge
Unfortunately for Aaron, he won’t be able to earn another title that is one of the most difficult to achieve in baseball: the Triple Crown. Although he leads the league in home runs and in RBI’s, his current batting average of .310 won’t be enough to beat Luis Arraez’s .315 of the Minnesota Twins.
It must be pointed out that Maris’ record has been broken six times in the National League, but it has been marred by the use of steroids each time. Bonds surpassed Mark McGwire, who hit 70 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1998 and 65 the following year. Sammy Sosa hit 66, 65, and 63 in four seasons beginning in 1998.
Twitter reacts to Judge’s 62nd home run
Congratulations and admiration were posted on Twitter Tuesday night by fans, admirers, the Empire State Building and even the President of the United States: