Roger Maris Jr.: Aaron Judge should be revered as real home run champion if he hits 62

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge hit his 61st home run of the season on Wednesday night, tying him with Roger Maris for the American League (and Yankees) single-season home run record.

There is a large segment of baseball fans (and media) that still consider 61 to be the "true" home run record as a means of discounting the steroid-era numbers from the 1990s and 2000s. You can include Roger Maris Jr. among those fans.

In speaking to the media on Wednesday night following Judge's 61st home run, Maris Jr. said that if Judge hits his 62nd home run this season he should be revered as the true single-season home run champion, not just in the American League, but all of Major League Baseball.

“He’s clean, he’s a Yankee, he plays the game the right way,” said Maris Jr. “It gives people a chance to look at somebody who should be revered for hitting 62 home runs, not just as a guy who did it in the American League. He should be revered for being the actual single-season home run champ. That’s really who he is, and if he hits 62, I think that’s what needs to happen.”

It is understandable for Maris Jr. to want to view his dad's record as the true benchmark number to reach. But you simply can not erase the records that are on the books just because you do not like who did it or the way they did it. Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in a single season, and until somebody hits 74, that is going to be the record. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa also both hit more than 62 home runs in a season multiple times. Those seasons happened. 

That does not take away from the incredible year that Judge is having. It is truly a legendary year that has seen him tie the franchise home run record, lead the major leagues by an enormous number, and he might even win the American League Triple Crown. He has been amazing.

It is just not the all-time single season home run record in Major League Baseball. That is okay.