How do I not nominate Big No. 99 here? As the Yankees cratered this summer, he buoyed them single-handedly by chasing Roger Maris' franchise home run record, reaching 50 blasts by the end of August and 62 by end of season with all the pressure in the world (and then some) heaped upon him. He was remarkable in a contract year, and his Yankees teammates went in the opposite direction. Anything that makes Hal Steinbrenner sweat is a good thing, too.
- Adam Weinrib
FanSided Content Director
Best fan moment of the year
Aaron Judge smacking his historic 60th home run at Yankee Stadium, into the Bleacher Creatures, and getting the ball back from a devoted fan who just wanted to do something good for the man who should be a Yankee forever. Babe Ruth would be proud (and would've probably sold the ball for booze).
What we’ll remember about this fandom a decade from now
Whatever “62 home runs“ means to you, whether you care about the “AL Record Workaround“ or not, Judge bet on himself in a contract year and succeeded historically. Whether you believe he passed an existing benchmark or not, reliving Roger Maris' chase through his eyes was special for a generation of fans raised without World Series wins. Judge is their Jeter. Hopefully, the requisite championships follow.