THE Record Is 73, Not 61

Some people don't like Barry Bonds.  Some people think Barry Bonds cheated.  As such, some people don't think any of the numbers Bonds put up are legitimate.  And those same people think that when/if Aaron Judge hits his 62nd home run, it should be considered the "true" Major League record.  Even though it won't be.

Whether you like it or not, whether you personally consider them to be "legitimate" or not, Barry Bonds still hit 73 home runs in 2001.  It actually happened.  He didn't not hit them.  Those 73 baseballs all went over the fence.  Thus, 73 home runs is the single-season record.  And that's not gonna change until somebody hits 74!

I bring all this up, of course, because there's that chorus suggesting that there should be an asterisk next to Judge's 2022 home run total, implying that it's the "real" record.  Count Roger Maris Jr. in that group.  Although, let's be honest with ourselves.  They want the asterisk for one reason and one reason only.  Because they don't like Bonds and consider him a "cheater," but they do like Judge.

That's their opinion, and they're perfectly entitled to it.  But that doesn't mean Major League Baseball should or will give them what they want.  In fact, if MLB were to do that, it would set a very bad precedent.

What sometimes gets lost in all of this is the fact that Barry Bonds never tested positive for anything.  Yes, I know what you're gonna say.  "Just because he didn't test positive doesn't mean he wasn't taking something.  I mean, c'mon!"  To which my response would be, "You're absolutely right."  After which I'd remind you that whether Bonds was on something or not is irrelevant.  Because he wasn't breaking any rules!  And if he wasn't breaking any rules, how exactly was he cheating?

The Steroid Era is called that for a reason.  MLB and the owners knew what was happening and did absolutely nothing to stop it.  And the fans completely ate it up while it was happening!  It's only now, 20 years later, that we want to call them all "cheaters" and declare it all "illegitimate."  As if we didn't see it with our own eyes!

Remember the Summer of 1998?  We couldn't get enough of Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa!  When they both broke Roger Maris' record, we all celebrated.  Yet now, with the benefit of hindsight, many of us view the Summer of 1998 very differently.  What we once celebrated is suddenly an abomination.  An abomination that was only made worse three years later when Bonds broke McGwire's record.

So now, those Bonds/McGwire/Sosa haters are using this as their opportunity to try and rewrite history.  We've all seen the graphics by now.  The ones that list the all-time single-season home run records where Judge and Maris are only tied for seventh, behind three 60-home run seasons by Sosa (who, incredibly, didn't lead the NL in any of those seasons!), two by McGwire and the record 73 by Bonds.  However, since all three of those guys played during the Steroid Era and many believe their performances were likely "enhanced," we can ignore them and celebrate Judge as the record-holder.

None of this is meant to diminish what Aaron Judge is doing this season!  It's also important to note that there's no asterisk required.  He has set a record.  The AMERICAN LEAGUE record.  Let's not forget the significance of that.  Maris' 61 in 61 has stood as the AL record for 61 years!  Matching it is damn impressive!  But it's still 12 less than the Major League record!

Of course, the irony of all this is that there was an asterisk on the record for a long time.  In 1961, Commissioner Ford Frick, a friend of Babe Ruth's, suggested that there should be some sort of "distinctive mark" in the record book if it took someone more than 154 games, the same total Ruth played in 1927, to break his record.  It took Maris all 162, so Maris and Ruth's names were both listed in the record book as if they were separate records.

Then, as Bonds was chasing the career home run record, it was a similar situation.  Hank Aaron had endured so much hostility and racism as he chased Ruth's record in 1974.  But when it was Aaron's record under assault, he was the hero and Bonds the villain.  And, even though it's been 15 years since Bonds broke the record, those same people who think Judge is the single-season home run record-holder still consider Aaron to be the holder of the career home run record.

But, as I said earlier, some fans being angry about the Steroid Era and not liking Barry Bonds doesn't change anything.  The record is still the record.  Did Pete Rose not break the all-time hits record because he gambled on baseball?  Did the Houston Astros not win the 2017 World Series because they were stealing signs?

Frankly, I don't see the difference in any of those situations.  Yet no one goes, Pete Rose is the all-time hits leader, but not really.  Or says, "yeah, the Astros won the World Series, but..."  It's only the home run record that isn't considered sacred.  Just because of the guy who holds it.

Aaron Judge's season-long pursuit of Roger Maris has been a joy to watch.  The race has been about both of them.  As it should be.  But it's also about someone else.  Whether they want to admit it or not, all the people who are making a big deal about how Judge will hold the "real" record once he gets to 62 are making it about Barry Bonds, too.