Mother and child reunion: New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge celebrates home run number 61 with mother Patty at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Wed Sep 28, 2022 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Judge becomes tied for the American League single season lead with Yankee Roger Maris Sr (AP News photo)
Roger Maris Jr. Says Barry Bonds Home run record is Illegitimate
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez
Roger Maris Jr. was in attendance in Toronto on Thursday, September 28, when Yankee slugger Aaron Judge hit home run No.61 to tie his father Roger Maris who established the Home run record in the American League hitting 61 in 1961. This is what Roger Maris Jr. told the Associated Press – “He should be revered for being the actual single-season home run champ,” Maris said after Judge hit his 61st on Wednesday night to match Roger Maris’ record-setting total with the Yankees in 1961. I mean, that's really who he is if he hits 62, and I think that's what needs to happen. I think baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.'' Asked Wednesday whether he considers McGwire and Bonds home run totals to be illegitimate, Maris answered yes.I do,'' he said.I think most people do.” What Mr.Maris Jr said is much like what I wrote during my last article.
In 1999 St Louis Cardinals Mark McGwire hit 65 while Sammy Sosa had three seasons of over 60 home runs, from 1998 to 2001 hitting, 66, 64, 63. While McGwire admitted to using steroids, Sosa and Bond maintained they did not use it knowingly. It wasn’t until 2004 that Major League Baseball began testing for PED’s/drugs with penalties that same year.
The records and history are there for everybody to see, especially now in this age of high technology when all the information you can get in your cell phone within seconds. That was not the case in 1961, when nobody doubted if Roger Maris’s record was legitimate or not.
How much have times changed in baseball? Consider this, the biggest “controversy” in 1961 was when Roger Maris hit 61 home runs to break Babe Ruth’s 1927 record of 60. The argument was: While Ruth hit 60 home runs in the 1927 season that was 154 games long, Maris hit 61 but when the season was 162 games long.
Will Major League Baseball do something to “adjust” the situation, of who is the real holder of the one-season home run record? Probably not. I believe MLB is leaving this controversy to the record books, to history, to votes in the Hall of Fame and many asterisks to follow.
Aaron Judge needs one more home run to be the undisputed home run king for one season and he will have seven (7) more games left to do it. And then, there will be another discussion. I think.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Oakland A’s lead play by play Spanish announcer on flagship station on LeGrande 1010 KIQI San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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