No, no, not because he hit 61 home runs in 162 games instead of 154. Besides, they removed Maris’ asterisk many years ago. The question is, should he get an asterisk in the MLB record book with the notation, “Most home runs in a single season by a player who was not steroid aided.”
This is a big thing with me. I refuse to recognize Chemical Man Barry Bonds as the all time home run king. It is Henry Aaron. I don’t recognize Chemical Men Barry Bonds’, Sammy Sosa’s, or Mark McGuire’s single season home run totals, either. I recognize Roger Maris and, now, Aaron Judge as the single season record holders.
Those men forever tainted and diminished the game, and I for one will not forgive or forget it. I seem to be in the minority, however, because it doesn’t seem to bother the baseball world one iota.
Are you asking if there should be two (or more) “Single Season Home Run” records?
I think most baseball fans already track that. I doubt you will find a serious baseball fan that knows 73 but not 61 (in fact I often forget what Bonds’ record is and have to look it up). And now they will know 73 and 63 (or whatever) - as well as 61 and 60 most likely.
Similarly I know I can recall 714 (Ruth) and 755 (Aaron) much more clearly than whatever number Bonds ended at. I think that’s probably true for most baseball fans as well. And of course Pujols might make it really easy to remember #4 if he fails to hit another one this year and then retires.
My petulance and sarcasm clouded what I was really trying to say, and for that I apologize. What I really want is for MLB to throw out all records held by those 3 men. They should not be acknowledged in any way because they were the product of blatant cheating. Judge and Maris shouldn’t be ranked behind those men because they shouldn’t even be listed. They should be at the top where they belong. Yet, we continue the sham.
“Winners never cheat, and cheaters never win.” Yeah, right!
Eh, that will never happen. Mainly because MLB didn’t come down hard enough at the time. They loved the HR chases, until it was the petulant Bonds instead of the happy-go-lucky McGwire and Sosa.
So instead you will have record books full of players that are not even in the sports Hall of Fame.
I think the best we can do is make sure we pass down the reality to future fans and make sure that if and when those players are memorialized that the reality of how those feats were achieved is clearly documented. That’s why I would prefer to put them in the HOF with very clear context indicating what they did to achieve those records. Which will likely happen some day, long after the players themselves have passed.
Also, the use of performance enhancers has existed pretty much as long as there has been professional basement.
The only difference in the so-called steroid era was they found stuff that probably actually worked consistently. Amphetamine use was rampant for decades before that. Even Babe Ruth and Roger Maris reportedly both tried to use (then legal) substances to improve their performance, albeit with potentially mixed results.
I think this will become a non-issue within a decade or so as traditional, i.e. older, fans age out.
Bonds never failed a drug test. Blame MLB for not properly testing, blame them for letting that whole era go by without giving a shit, blame them for whatever - but they’re not going to say he did something they can’t prove.
I’m also in the camp that just laughs at people who want to minimize or completely ignore the rampant amphetamine use for decades of MLB’s history. Did greenies directly aid a player to hit a homer like anabolic steroids did? No - but they aided players in many other ways that were directly related to the opportunity to do so.
Who hit the most home-runs is not an opinion. 73 is the most home-runs. All numbers have context in baseball. Whether a player hit those home-runs while using steroids, only against white players, using amphetamines, in Colorado etc. effects how impressive the accomplish is but it still happened. I find the thinking that I didn’t like it so it didn’t happen incredibly childish.
And of course Bonds played in an era where steroids weren’t really against the rules, weren’t tested for, and it some ways even encouraged. Plus the evidence of how much steroids helped hitters is mixed at best. Even in the context of when he did Bonds season was an all time masterpiece.
I get that, but steroids are way more effective in enhancing performance than amphetamines, particularly strength, which is what produces the inflated home run numbers.
I didn’t think that it didn’t happen, I think it happened because of the steroids. The fact that it dramatically stopped is proof of that. Bonds hit his 73 in 2001, 21 years ago. Judge just now has hit 61. The game itself is proof enough that steroids had a fabulous effect on home run performance, far, far, more than amphetamines ever could.
“These drugs players were taking aren’t as effective as these other drugs players were taking” isn’t really a compelling argument.
If there’s an asterisk to be used, put it on that right field wall in Yankee Stadium.
Regardless, all this discussion does is diminish what Judge is doing right now. The record is 73 - but Bonds wasn’t close to a triple crown, and he wasn’t close to the separation Judge has put on the rest of the league. Why focus on just one of the numbers he’s putting up?
Judge certainly plays in the right home ballpark to make a run at 61-plus homers. Yankee Stadium is one of the most home-run-happy ballparks in the big leagues, though Judge hasn’t padded his total with short right field porch cheapies. According to Statcast, Judge has hit only two home runs this season that would have been homers at Yankee Stadium and only Yankee Stadium: a 364-footer vs. Shane McClanahan on June 15 and another 364-footer against Jonathan Heasley on July 30.