Aaron Judge reveals whose ‘real’ home run record he’s chasing

Aaron Judge is looking to break the Yankees’ single-season home run record set by Roger Maris, but he is also eying another record.

The New York Yankees may have been in a downward trajectory ever since returning from the All-Star break, but there is one constant — Aaron Judge. The star outfielder has been a home run-hitting machine, as he hit 55 home runs following his Sept. 7 game against the Minnesota Twins. That means he is getting that much closer to breaking the Yankees’ single-season home run record set by Roger Maris in 1961.

But in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Judge said that he is looking to break “the record,” which he says is Barry Bonds’ 73 hit in the 2001 season.

“Oh, yeah,” Judge said, h/t NJ.com. “That’s the record. I watched him do it. I stayed up late watching him do it. That’s the record. No one can take that from him.”

Aaron Judge calls Barry Bonds’ 73 homer in 2001 ‘the record’

Back in 2001, Bonds broke the all-time single-season home runs record that was previously held by Mark McGwire, who hit 70 in 1998. These records are still recognized by MLB, despite the fact that they took place during what was called “the steroid era.”

Judge is in fourth place on the single-season home runs record in franchise history. There is Maris’ 61 sitting at No. 1, followed by Babe Ruth’s 60 in 1927 and 59 in 1921.

This is quite the season for Judge, as he did this after he turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million contract offer from the Yankees prior to the start of the campaign. Now, he is set to receive a huge payday from whichever team he decides to sign with this offseason.

With there being less than 30 games remaining in the 2022 season, the chances of Judge breaking Bond’s record are slim, but not unattainable.