MARK MCGWIRE

“I mean, that’s really who he is if he hits 62, and I think that’s what needs to happen. Maris' mark stood until McGwire hit 70 for St. Louis in 1998, and that was topped by Barry Bonds' 73 for San Francisco in 2001. The younger Maris and some of his relatives were in St. Louis when McGwire hit his 62nd in 1998. Asked Wednesday whether he considers McGwire and Bonds home run totals to be illegitimate, Maris answered yes. That’s where you want it to happen, that’s where I want it to happen.

Roger Maris Jr. considers the home run feats of Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa to be illegitimate and says Aaron Judge should be recognized as the holder of the big league season standard if the New York Yankees slugger hits No. 62.

When Aaron Judge’s American League record-tying 61st home run dropped into Toronto’s bullpen, coach Matt Buschmann picked it up.

Barry Bonds holds the big league record of 73 for the San Francisco Giants in 2001. Maris hit No. Maris' mark has been exceeded six times, but all have been tainted by the stench of steroids. Judge hit 52 homers with 114 RBIs the following year and was a unanimous winner of the AL Rookie of the Year award. He became just the fifth player to hold a share of the AL season record.

The New York Yankees superstar reached a magical number with homer No. pic.twitter.com/GKq72l8HQZ — New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 23, 2022Shortest: Hitting this many homers in one year requires at least a few borderline fly balls to go your way. 453 ft for Homer 48 👨‍⚖️ pic.twitter.com/QrhyxISLlo — New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 24, 2022His 48th home run of the season left the park at an eye-watering 115.9 mph. pic.twitter.com/FHWrERduEV — New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 11, 2022It was your classic backyard baseball fantasy: The Yankees were down two with two men on in the bottom of the ninth. While the Yankees season as a whole has cooled off recently, Judge is still barreling toward a monster payday.

Shohei Ohtani vs.

For many baseball fans, the excitement over Aaron Judge, Albert Pujols and the milestones they've been chasing has evoked bittersweet memories of the home run chases of baseball's "steroid era."

Sal Durante was 19 when he caught Roger Maris’ record-breaking 61st home run in 1961.

Bonds, Sosa and McGwire have more home runs in a season that Maris. But those three played during the steroids era.

Aaron Judge pushed into truly elite home run territory with his 60th blast Tuesday night, hitting a solo shot to lead off the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He's now just one deep ball shy of tying fellow New York Yankees slugger Roger Maris' American League record for homers in a season, 61. What home run records are Aaron Judge chasing? Kevin Maris, Roger's second son, told New York Magazine that he would be "excited" for Aaron Judge if he eclipses his father's legendary 1961 season. While the Yankees season as a whole has cooled off recently, Judge is still barreling toward a monster payday.

Aaron Judge and Albert Pujols could make this a milestone week for home runs.

Aaron Judge crushed his 58th homer of the season Sunday against the Milwaukee Brewers. With the New York Yankees trailing 4-1, Judge clobbered a sinker for an opposite-field blast that landed in the second row at American Family Field. Aaron Judge - New York Yankees (58)pic.twitter.com/QYIjUnxdSc — MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) September 18, 2022He's now just three shy of tying Roger Maris' famed American League record, 61 home runs. What home run records are Aaron Judge chasing? While the Yankees season as a whole has cooled off recently, Judge is still barreling toward a monster payday.

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge said that 73 home runs is the record as he chases the American League record for home runs in a season.

To some, Aaron Judge’s season has a special sheen because he appears to be Mr. Clean. “To me, the holder of the record for home runs in a season is Roger Maris,” author George Will said. Bonds' 73 and other Steroids Era peaks are viewed by critics as phantoms, totals as inflated as the biceps of those bulked up hitters.

Aaron Judge became the second-fastest player in major league history to reach 200 career home runs, and the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 8-2.

Yankees star Aaron Judge became the second-fastest player in major league history to reach 200 career home runs with a two-run drive in the second inning for New York against the Kansas City Royals.

The McGwire family is set to see the other side of things in one of baseball’s best rivalries.

Baseball fans reacted with a mix of resignation, dismay, sadness and anger when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred announced Tuesday that opening day on March 31 has been canceled over a labor dispute.

Tuesday night's American League Wild Card game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox peaked at 8.4 million viewers.

Mitch Moreland homered twice, Chris Bassitt posted his AL-leading 12th win and the Oakland Athletics routed the Cleveland Indians 17-0 for their seventh straight victory.

The Shohei Ohtani Show at Coors Field starts with the All-Star Home Run Derby, with fans wondering how far the Angels’ two-way sensation and other sluggers can hit the ball in Denver’s thin air.

FILE - In this May 18, 2019, file photo, home plate umpire Mike Winters looks on during the eighth inning of a baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and the Oakland Athletics in Detroit. After more than three decades of hard work as a big league umpire, Winters is retiring. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)After more than three decades of hard work as a big league umpire, Mike Winters is ready to loaf. But I’m getting there.”One of 12 umps to opt out during the pandemic-shortened season, the 62-year-old Winters has made it official. The reworked schedule gave Winters a chance to reconsider, but he already was looking ahead to days off the diamond.

A person familiar with the swap tells The Associated Press that the St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to acquire All-Star third baseman Arenado from the Rockies in a trade needing approvals before it can be finalized. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Cardinals finalized their blockbuster trade to acquire All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies on Monday night. St. Louis dealt left-hander Austin Gomber and four minor leaguers to the Rockies: infielder Elehuris Montero, right-hander Tony Locey, infielder Mateo Gil and right-handed pitcher Jake Sommers. As part of the trade, Colorado will send cash to St. Louis to offset part of the money Arenado is due in his contract. AdMost recently, the Cardinals acquired Goldschmidt, a six-time All-Star, from Arizona prior to the 2019 season, and he signed a $130 million deal to stay with St. Louis through 2024.

The last two episodes of the 10-part Michael Jordan documentary, strung out over the last five Sunday nights, averaged 5.9 million viewers, the Nielsen company said. ABC averaged 3.9 million viewers, NBC had 3.5 million, Fox had 2.8 million, Univision had 1.5 million, ION Television had 1.2 million, Telemundo had 900,000 and the CW had 660,000. Fox News Channel was the most-watched cable network in prime time, averaging 3.39 million viewers. ABC's World News Tonight led the evening newscasts with an average of 10 million viewers last week. NBC's Nightly News had 8.8 million viewers and the CBS Evening News had 6 million.