New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge reached a historic milestone when on Sept. 28, 2022, he tied Roger Maris’ 1961 single-season home run record.
Fans tuned in eagerly to watch Judge, 31, tie the American League record of 61 home runs in a season. It had been seven games since he tied Babe Ruth’s record of 60.
With the Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays tied at 3-3, Judge stepped up to the plate at the top of the seventh inning and blasted one 394 feet off into the distance for his 61st home run of the season.
“Getting a chance to sit at 60 for a while there with the Babe was nice,” Judge said after the game, “but getting a chance to now sit at 61 with another Yankee right fielder that hit 61 home runs and MVPs, world champions, this is pretty cool.”
The two-run homer helped lift the Yankees 8-3 over the Blue Jays, and just a few days later, Judge would surpass Maris for his 62nd home run, making his the most by an American League player.
“It’s a big relief,” Judge said. “Everybody can finally sit down in their seats and watch the ball game. It’s been a fun ride so far, getting a chance to do this. … Getting a chance to have your name next to someone as great as Roger Maris and Babe Ruth and those guys is incredible.
One of the most infamous marks on baseball history came on Sept. 28, 1920, when a Chicago grand jury indicted eight members of the White Sox organization on charges of fixing the 1919 World Series.
Chick Gandil, Buck Weaver, Happy Felsch, Swede Risberg, Fred McMullin, Eddie Cicotte, Lefty Williams and Joe Jackson were all suspended following accusations that they threw the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for bribes.
Though many of the details of the scandal have been debated over the years, according to the Society for American Baseball Research, those involved agreed to throw the series in exchange for a payment of $10,000.
The Reds won the 1919 World Series, 5-3. In August 1920, all eight White Sox players were acquitted. But almost immediately after, MLB Commissioner Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis handed out lifetime bans for all eight players.
It was the final game of the season, the last at Shea Stadium, and signaled the end of playoff hopes for New York Mets fans.
On Sept. 28, 2008, the Mets suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Miami Marlins, which knocked them out of playoff contention in what is regarded as among the worst meltdowns in baseball. They had previously led the NL East by seven games before going 5-12 in the final 17 games of the season.
“We failed. We failed as a team,” David Wright said at the time. “There’s no pointing fingers. There’s no excuses. We as a unit didn’t get the job done.”
To make matters worse, it was the last game the Mets would play at Shea Stadium before it was knocked down in the offseason.
“It would have been better if we would have won today, but I don’t think it spoils the celebration,” general manager Omar Minaya said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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