⚾
NO STAT IS SAFE. NO ERA IS FORGOTTEN.
VOL. 1, NO. 48 · JANUARY 25, 2027 · EVERY MONDAY
ISSUE #048 · MODERN
Aaron Judge — 62 Home Runs
And The Clean Record
On October 4, 2022, Aaron Judge hit home run #62, breaking Roger Maris's 61-year-old AL record with the
📅 THIS DATE IN
BASEBALL cleanest power season since Maris himself.
THE STAT THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST 01
HE HIT 62 WITHOUT ANY ASTERISK. IN THE POST-STEROID ERA, THAT MATTERS.
62 HR In 2022. Broke Roger Maris's 61-Year AL
Record. The Cleanest Power Season In Decades.
AARON JUDGE 2022 ROGER MARIS 1961 BARRY BONDS 2001
70 66 6'7"
MARK MCGWIRE 1998 SAMMY SOSA 1998 JUDGE HEIGHT
Judge hit 62 home runs in 2022, breaking Roger Maris's AL record of 61 that had stood since 1961. Bonds
(73), McGwire (70), and Sosa (66) all hit more — but all are associated with PED use. Judge's 62 is widely
considered the 'clean' single-season record. He won the AL MVP unanimously and hit .311 with a 1.111
OPS.
THE GAME YOU FORGOT 02
VS Texas Rangers OCTOBER 4, 2022
1st Jesus Tinoco 1.111 W 8-3
HOME RUN # INNING PITCHER SEASON OPS RESULT
Number 62
BROKE THE AL RECORD ON THE SECOND-TO-LAST DAY OF THE REGULAR SEASON
Judge hit home run #62 off Jesus Tinoco of Texas in the 1st inning on October 4, 2022 — the second-to-last
day of the regular season. He'd been stuck on 61 for five games. The Yankees dugout erupted. The ball was
caught by a fan in the first row of the left-field seats who later sold it at auction. Judge circled the bases and
pointed to the sky. He said afterward he wanted to enjoy it — unlike Maris, who had spent 1961 miserable.
ERA VS ERA 03
Who Holds The 'Real' Single-Season Home Run Record?
AARON JUDGE — 62 BARRY BONDS — 73
YEAR YEAR
2022 — post-steroid testing 2001 — peak steroid era
ERA VS OPS+
Clean, tested, verified 235 — highest ever
MVP HOF STATUS
Unanimous AL MVP Not inducted
If you believe the steroid era should carry an asterisk, Judge holds the real record at 62. If you believe official
records are official regardless of era, Bonds holds it at 73. Baseball has chosen not to resolve this. The record
book says 73. The public consensus says 62. Both numbers are in the books.
Who holds the real single-season HR record?
AARON JUDGE — 62, CLEAN BARRY BONDS — 73, OFFICIAL ROGER MARIS — 61, PRE-EVERYTHING
RECORDS ARE RECORDS — STOP QUALIFYING
THE COLDEST MOMENT 04
LATE SEPTEMBER 2022 · THE WAIT
He Was Stuck On 61 For Five Games. The Entire
Country Watched Every At-Bat.
Judge hit HR #61 on September 28 — tying Maris. Then he went 0-for-12 with no home runs
across the next five games. Every at-bat was broadcast nationally. Every swing was analyzed.
He kept fouling off close ones. The tension was unbearable for everyone except Judge, who
said he was just trying to help the team win. He hit #62 on October 4 — the second-to-last day
of the season.
I wasn't trying to make history. I was trying to win baseball games. The other stuff
takes care of itself.
— AARON JUDGE
THE STAT VAULT 05
2022 OPS
HR IN 2022
62 1.111 Combined with .311 BA and 131 RBI. One of
AL record. Broke Maris's 61 that had stood
the most complete offensive seasons of
since 1961. Post-steroid era clean record.
the era.
JUDGE'S HEIGHT
GAMES STUCK ON 61
6'7" One of the largest power hitters in 5
Went 0-for-12 between #61 and #62. The
baseball history. His swing generates
entire country watched every at-bat.
historic exit velocity.
2022 UNANIMOUS AL MVP
He hit 62 HR and also played elite defense in center field.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN 06
OVERLOOKED · UNDERRATED · DESERVES MORE
Joey Votto
CINCINNATI REDS · 2007-2023
.266 BA · .409 OBP · 356 HR · 2010 NL MVP
Career .409 OBP. 2010 NL MVP. Greatest Plate Discipline Of His Generation.
Rarely Discussed.
Joey Votto's .409 career OBP is one of the highest in modern baseball history. He won the 2010 NL MVP and
led the NL in OBP seven times. He played his entire career in Cincinnati — a small market that limited his
national profile. His plate discipline stats are historical. His recognition is not.
THE CONNECTION:
Votto and Judge both played first base in the same era. Judge hit 62 HR and became an icon. Votto
had a .409 career OBP — one of the best in history — and became a footnote.
COMING NEXT MONDAY
Next Monday: Ronald Acuña Jr. became the first 40-70 player in baseball history. At age 25. Then the ACL
tore.
Who's Your Forgotten Man?
Reply with a player from any era who deserves more credit. Best answer gets featured next Monday.
All Eras. All Stats. No Debate.
Every Monday. No exceptions.