Aaron Judge’s 62nd home run meant the end of a relentless chase towards history (one that was in danger of not happening by the penultimate game of the season), and the end of logging plenty of travel miles for Roger Maris Jr. and the Maris family.
The son of Roger Maris attended every game in the Bronx since Judge’s 60th last month, traveled to Toronto to see 61, and was in Texas to see 62. Judge, who had just passed Maris Jr.’s father in the record books that hadn’t been rewritten since Maris 61 years ago, made sure to thank the Maris family for the support and willingness to travel the country, even outside of it, to see Judge surpass a beloved family member.
“Roger Maris Jr. and his family supporting me through the ride too, a lot of thanks and congratulations to them too for their constant support through this whole process,” Judge said. “I know it’s a tough situation. Your dad’s legacy, you want to uphold that. But getting a chance to meet their family, they’re wonderful people.
“Traveling to Toronto, traveling all over the place to watch this go down…to be up there with his dad is something I definitely don’t take lightly.”
Judge’s name now stands above Maris on the home run list, as the face of the Yankees in 2022 stands above some of the most recognizable faces the franchise has ever seen.
“Getting a chance to have my name next to someone as great as Roger Maris and Babe Ruth and those guys,” Judge said. “It’s incredible.”
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