On Tuesday, October 4th, 2022, Aaron Judge made baseball history. The New York Yankees slugger hit his record-breaking 62nd home run against the Texas Rangers, off of Rangers starter Jesus Tinoco in the first at-bat of the second game of the doubleheader. 

The home run breaks the single-season home run record in the American League of baseball and he even lays claim to the Major League Baseball’s single season home run record–if you don’t include notorious steroid users Barry Bonds and Mark McGuire in the conversation.

The initial AL home run record was set in the days of Babe Ruth when he achieved 60 home runs in a single season in 1927. Along the way, New York Yankee Roger Marris hit 61 home runs in the 1961 season. Now, 61 years later, baseball fans had an opportunity to witness Judge hit his 62nd home run- he now stands alone with the thrill of being the single season AL home run king.

Judge hit the 88mph slider into the first row in left field and the blast went an estimated 391 feet. “I had a good feeling off the bat,” Judge said. “I just didn’t know where it was going to land or what it was going to hit. There was a good sense of relief once I saw it in that fan’s glove.” 

As Judge was rounding the bases, he began thinking about all the people who had supported him along his baseball journey. “All of that was running, kind of running, through my head, just the constant support I’ve gotten through this whole process,” Judge told reporters after the game. As he was rounding the bases he was seen taking a look up in the stands, where his family was watching the game, and gave them a smile as he rounded second base.

As Judge was rounding the bases, the entire Yankees dugout vacated the dugout and piled near home plate where they greeted Judge with smiles and hugs. After the game, Judge told reporters “I tried to enjoy every single moment…I didn’t think about, ‘Hey, they’re all on their feet to see you hit a home run.’ I tried to think about, ‘Hey, they’re here to see an exciting ballgame and see something special.’ Having that mindset helped me stay pretty calm, but there was definitely a little pressure in there.”

The anticipation of Judge’s 62nd was shared among Yankee teammates and they breathed a huge sigh of relief after Judge hit the momentous home run. “It felt like the college days,” third baseman Josh Donaldson said. “The moment was worth that, to show the amount of respect we have for him and what he’s done.”

The home run ball was caught by Cory Youmans, who ran 6 seats across the first row to catch the home run ball. The ball is now selling for an estimated 2 million dollars. Youmans still hasn’t decided what he will do with the home run ball yet.

Judge has entered the record books with an all time feat. While baseball fans and legends have congratulated Judge on his accomplishment,  the momentous occasion still hasn’t set in fully for Judge. “That’s what we’ve got tonight for, to soak in the moment with my family,” Judge said. “I think it won’t really sink in until after the postseason. That’s really our main goal and our main focus.”