In 1961, Roger Maris of the Yankees mashed 61 home runs, breaking the major league record set by another Yankees star, Babe Ruth, who had hit 60 in 1927.
Maris’s record was eventually surpassed by three different players, all of whom have been connected to performance-enhancing drugs. But on Wednesday night at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Aaron Judge — yet another Yankee, and an outfielder who has played his entire career in the era of drug testing — matched Maris’s famous mark, hitting his 61st home run of what has been a spectacular season.
With seven games remaining after Wednesday’s, Judge is tied with Maris for the American League record and has ample opportunity to stand alone.