The 2022 season has been a true storybook season for Aaron Judge, beginning with contentious contract talks leading into an MVP-caliber, record campaign. There was plenty of pressure on the Yankees outfielder; he bet on himself financially and then became the pillar of an up-and-down offensive lineup that sputtered at times down the stretch after a red-hot start to the season.
However, his pursuit of Roger Maris’s American League single-season home run record—a mark that is incredibly special to the Yankees franchise—did not contribute to that pressure. After Judge hit the long-awaited 62nd home run on Tuesday night in Texas, he said that, while the milestone is “something pretty special,” it was still just another day at the ballpark.