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Roger Maris Jr. throws shade at Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire amid Aaron Judge historic night
Image credit: ClutchPoints

On Wednesday night, Aaron Judge tied Roger Maris for the most home runs in American League regular season history. He blasted his 61st home run of the season in the 7th inning of an 8-3 New York Yankees win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The only players who have ever hit more in a single season are Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa (all National League).

But if you ask Roger Maris Jr., they don’t count.

Maris Jr. said that if Judge hits his 62nd home run of the season, he should be regarded as the regular season home run champ. When asked whether he believed Bonds and McGwire’s numbers were illegitimate, he didn’t pull any punches.

“I do. I think most people do,” Maris Jr. said. “Baseball needs to look at the records and I think baseball should do something.”

Tell us how you really feel, Roger.

First and foremost, Aaron Judge would need to hit his 62nd home run. The Yankees have seven games remaining on their schedule. If he does indeed hit another home run, an argument can certainly be made because of what Maris Jr. pointed out. Judge is doing it clean and playing the game the right way.

Bonds, McGwire and Sosa all surpassed Maris’ mark but were later found to have used performance-enhancing drugs. They played during the stained steroid era of baseball. Because no one knows all of the culprits, many people have somewhat absolved those players. Clearly that’s not the case with Maris Jr. as he believes Judge is that man.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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