Roger Maris Jr.’s clear bias against Barry Bonds exposed again on social media

As Aaron Judge has chased his father’s legacy this season, Roger Maris Jr. has made his views very clear on who he believes holds the Major League Baseball home run record.

In his opinion, it isn’t Barry Bonds, and he once again made his feelings about the subject clear on social media on Friday.

Taking on Twitter, Roger Maris Jr. once again reminded MLB fans that he believes his father’s 61 home runs hit in 1961 not only represent the American League record (a number Judge tied on Wednesday in Toronto), but also the MLB record as well.

Contrary to his beliefs, however, MLB record books show that Barry Bonds holds the single-season home run record with 73 hit in 2001. Behind Bonds and before Maris on that same list are five other seasons from two individuals, with Mark McGwire blasting 70 in 1998 and 65 in 1999 as well as Sammy Sosa posting 66 in 1998, 64 in 2001, and 63 in 1999. However, all of those numbers have the shadow of performance-enhancing drugs looming over them, a fact that Maris Jr. has referred to in interviews leading up to Judge’s feat this season.

Roger Maris Jr. makes his bias very clear

While Maris Jr. has a clear tie to why he believes his father’s record should be the one that stands above all others (until it is likely broken by Judge this season), scrubbing names and moments from the MLB history books is a dicey proposition at best. Throughout baseball’s history, numerous players and teams have found a way to grab an advantage over the opposition, with some more egregious than others. In recent memory, the actions of the Houston Astros during the 2017 season resulted in discipline for several parties, but the annals of MLB history still show Houston as the World Series champion.

There are also plenty of Yankee players who have also come under the glare of scrutiny for taking PEDs while in pinstripes.

Baseball fans (including Maris Jr.) can have their opinions and share them at will, but the records that so many rail against will likely continue to stand the test of time, cementing them even further as the real and recognized records that MLB players in the present and the future will be chasing.