All rise for the new American League home run king!
To celebrate New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hitting his 62nd home run of the season, setting a new AL record and breaking fellow Bronx Bomber Roger Maris' 61-year-old record, the Empire State Building lit up in Yankees colors.
The iconic skyscraper sparkled and dazzled in the familiar blue and white to honor the baseball star's feat. The building was lit up for 62 seconds after the history-making home run.
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Judge now sits alone atop the American League’s list for home runs in a single season after hitting his blast on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers in Arlington, Texas. The leadoff blast was belted into left field, where a fan identified as Corey Youmans in the front row of section 31 caught the ball cleanly in his glove.
Rangers pitcher Jesus Tinoco surrendered the record-setting homer.
Judge's 62 home runs currently stands as the seventh most in a single season with the regular season ending tomorrow.
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Barry Bonds holds the overall single-season record with 73 home runs in 2001, topping the 70 hit by Mark McGwire and 66 by Sammy Sosa during the home run chase of 1998. That duo combined to eclipse the 60-mark five times over a four-season stretch, with McGwire hitting 65 home runs in 1999 and Sosa crushing 64 in 2001 and 63 in 1999.
Roger Maris Jr., after Judge tied his father's record last Wednesday, said Judge will be the true single-season home run king due to Bonds, McGwire and Sosa having played during baseball's Steroid Era.
Judge sat on 60 home runs for more than a week, walking 13 times during a seven-plus game drought before crushing No. 61. It took him nearly another week to hit No. 62.
He now aims for Sosa’ 63, which is sixth most in a single-season. The Yankees conclude their regular season on Wednesday at 4:05 p.m. ET in Texas against the Rangers.
