No, those steroid-fueled home run hitters don’t count
Aaron Judge just made history in the Yankees game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Officially, he tied the American League (and New York Yankees) all-time record for most home runs in a season, held by Roger Maris since 1961. But for baseball purists (like my editor who forced me to write this headline), the judge tied the league-wide all-time single-season home run record.
In the 7th inning against the Toronto Blue Jays, the California native hit the ball over the bullpen and against the left-field wall, scoring his 61st home run this season. The two-run homer broke a three-three tie — and cemented Judge’s place in the history books. Earlier this month, he tied Babe Ruth’s nearly century-old mark of 60 homers, becoming the third Yankee to hit 60 homers.
The official the record holder is San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds, who broke the record in 2001, hitting 73 home runs in a single season. The problem? Homie was high on steroids and other banned substances. According to Forbes, Bonds used “injectable anabolic steroids, injectable human growth hormone, post-cycle therapy drugs and amphetamines” between 2001 and 2006, when he reached the No. 1 circuit ranking. of all time at 762.
Judge — who has played for the Yankees since 2016 — was selected as an MLB All-Star four times: in 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2022. He was also the American League’s home run leader and Rookie of the Year in 2017.
