Aaron Judge Reflects on MLB's Untouchable 74 Home Run Record
- Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs in 2022, the closest to the 74-home run record since the end of the steroid era.
- The focus of baseball's popularity has shifted from home run totals to overall player performance, as seen with Shohei Ohtani's achievements.
- Despite the resurgence of interest in baseball, breaking the 74-home run record is still viewed as a daunting challenge.
In 2024, Major League Baseball (MLB) has seen a resurgence in popularity, although this has little to do with home run chases reminiscent of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Aaron Judge, the New York Yankees slugger, achieved 62 home runs in 2022, marking the closest anyone has come to breaking the single-season record of 74 since the steroid era ended. Despite this impressive feat, Judge ranks only seventh on the all-time single-season home run list, highlighting the challenges of achieving such high totals in today's game. The steroid era, which significantly inflated home run numbers, has left a lasting impact on the sport. The top six single-season performances occurred between 1998 and 2001, with Barry Bonds hitting 73 home runs in 2001. Since then, the overall trend in home runs has fluctuated, with various factors influencing the game, including changes in ballpark dimensions and the use of humidors. In 2024, Judge and Shohei Ohtani competed for the home run title, with Ohtani making headlines for his unique achievement of hitting 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases. This shift in focus from home run totals to overall player performance reflects a broader change in the sport's appeal. While some believe that no record is unbreakable, the consensus is that reaching 74 home runs remains a daunting challenge for any player, requiring extraordinary skill and consistency. The future of home run records in baseball remains uncertain, with many factors at play.