On Wednesday night, Aaron Judge tied Roger Maris for the all-time AL single-season home run record. But Maris’ son thinks that the two should be considered the record holders for MLB as a whole, given the rampant steroid use in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
Judge did make history, in one fashion or another. However, Roger Maris Jr. believes Judge’s home run chase should be an even bigger deal than MLB has made of it.
Maris’ record has been passed before, only in the National League. All three of Sammy Sosa (66, 1998), Mark McGwire (70, 1998) and Barry Bonds (73, 2001) hit more home runs in a single season.
“That’s really who he is if he hits 62 (the all-time record holder),” Maris Jr. said, per The Athletic. “I think that’s what needs to happen. I think baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.”
Roger Maris Jr. thinks Barry Bonds home run record isn’t legitimate
Maris Jr. is evidently calling for MLB to alter the record books entirely to give Judge a chance at the all-time record.
All three of Sosa, McGwire and Bonds have been connected to performance-enhancing drugs of some kind. Such was the case often in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Still, to delete any records from the books is a slippery slope, and one that could be applied across the board, both past and present.
We may not like who holds said records (look no further than Pete Rose), but the numbers are the numbers. Judge himself even views Bonds as the rightful record holder, and that ought to be enough.
“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.”
Judge grew up in the Bay Area watching Bonds hit baseballs into McCovey Cove on a regular basis. Barry did earn his way in the record books, perhaps with a little help. But altering history altogether is dangerous, regardless of the cause.