With Mom in the Stands, Aaron Judge Ties Roger Maris

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge was in a bit of a home run drought (for him), having gone seven games without one after hitting his 60th. That came to an end on September 28th. With one on in the seventh inning of the Yankees-Toronto Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Judge hit a rocket off Jays pitcher Tim Mayza for home run number 61 on the season, tying the American League single season home run record set by former Yankee Roger Maris in 1961. Maris died in 1985, but his son Roger Maris, Jr. was in the stands sitting next to Judge’s mother, Patty.

The ball landed in the Blue Jays’ bullpen, so there was no fighting in the stands over it. The ball was given to Judge, who presented it to his mother as a gift.

Oh, and the Yankees, who had previously clinched the American League East, won the game 8-3. The Yankees have six more regular season games for Judge to set a new record with homer #62. He’s also very much in the running to win the Triple Crown. Not only does he lead the American League in home runs, he also leads in RBIs with 130 (11 more than his closest pursuer), and is tied with Minnesota’s Luis Aaraez for the top batting average, both at .313.