MLB history: A look back at the 60 home run club

Roger Maris – 1961

Roger Maris had been a solid player heading into the 1961 campaign. He was a three time All Star, the reigning AL MVP, and had earned a Gold Glove award. Despite those accomplishments, he was in Mickey Mantle’s shadow, likely since Maris had only been with the team for two seasons after being acquired from the A’s.

The teammates were linked in 1961. Both were off to a torrid start when it came to hitting homers as they threatened Ruth’s seemingly untouchable record. The fans wanted Mantle to get the record as he was the more outgoing of the duo, but he faded down the stretch as injuries took a toll.

Maris, however, kept on hitting. While he was more focused on winning and wanted to stay out of the spotlight, the relentless pressure from the media caused tremendous stress. He began losing his hair and smoking more than ever. The chase even drew the attention of then commissioner Ford Frick, who declared that the record had to be beaten in 154 games or else there would be an asterisk.

In the end, Maris did get his 61st homer, taking Tracy Stallard deep on the last day of the season. Maris had his place in MLB history, but it came at the cost of his mental health and well being. He was still a solid player for the three years afterward, but was never able to come close to replicating his tremendous showing.

Those 61 homers still hold a controversial place in MLB history to this day. While the asterisk has long faded away and was officially removed, there is a debate about the actual single season home run king. Three players passed his mark, but there are questions about the legitimacy of those seasons. For a segment of baseball fans, Maris still holds that mark.

Mark McGwire – 1998, 1999

Major League Baseball desperately needed something to generate fan interest after the devastating strike in 1994 through the beginning of 1995. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa (coming up later) were happy to oblige.

McGwire had been a prodigious slugger in the past although injuries had hindered his ability at time. He had eight seasons with over 30 homers in the past, including two consecutive seasons with over 50 homers heading into 1998.

Healthy once again for a full season, McGwire hit the ground running, belting homers in his first four games of the season, and never stopped. Eventually, it became a matter of when, not if, he would break Maris’ record. That moment came in the fourth inning of the Cardinals’ game against the Cubs when he crushed Steve Trachsel’s offering for his 62nd homer on the year. He finished with a flurry, hitting five homers in his last three games, to become the first player in MLB history with 70 homers in a season.

McGwire kept up the impressive power stroke in 1999 as well. He became the first player to hit 60 homers in a season twice and was followed by Sosa later that year. It was, however, the beginning of the end as he could not stay healthy following that season. McGwire appeared in just 186 games over the next two years. While he did hit 62 homers in that time, his body just could not handle the wear and tear any longer.

His home run record came with controversy, even while it was occurring. McGwire had attributed some of his success to his use of Androstendione, which was legal at the time. Jose Canseco later named McGwire as a PED user in his book Juiced, something that McGwire denied for years before coming clean. By then it was too late as his place in MLB history was tarnished.

Sammy Sosa – 1998, 1999, 2001

Sammy Sosa holds a unique place in both the 60 home run club and in MLB history. Not only is he the only player to hit at least 60 homers in a season three times, he is the only player in that group not to lead the league in homers in any of those years.

Sosa reached his high water mark for homers in 1998, belting 66 home runs as he was neck and neck with Mark McGwire. While he did surpass Roger Maris, he was unable to catch McGwire for the home run crown, finishing four back. Sosa did get the last laugh in the awards department however as he was named the NL MVP that season.

He surpassed the 60 home run threshold again in 1999, belting 63 homers that season. Once again, he was second to McGwire, finishing two behind for the NL lead. He was ninth in the NL MVP vote that year as his strong showing did not resonate with the voters as much.

Once again, Sosa surpassed the 60 home run mark in 2001, belting 64 homers. And once again, he finished second in the NL, this time trailing Barry Bonds. Ironically, he led the league in homers in 2000, a year when he “only” hit 50 homers. He got his home run crown, but was never able to lead the league in any of his 60 homer seasons.

As was the case with McGwire, Sosa’s home run barrage faced controversy. He was accused of PED usage and was called to testify in front of Congress, when he suddenly ‘forgot’ how to speak English. And, as was the case with McGwire, his Hall of Fame candidacy failed to generate much traction as he fell off the ballot after ten years.

Barry Bonds – 2001

A case can be made for Barry Bonds as the greatest player in MLB history. The all time and single season home run leader, he is also one of eight players in the 300-300 club for homers and steals. He is also the only member in the 400-400 and 500-500 clubs, showing just how dominant he was.

His 2001 campaign was one for the ages. He started off the season with a home run on Opening Day, and in the middle of April, had a streak where he homered in six consecutive games. He had another six game home run streak in May, belting nine homers in that span.

Bonds drew 177 walks as no one wanted to pitch to him that year. However, he waited, ambushing those few strikes he received. He surpassed McGwire on October 5, belting two homers against Chan Ho Park to take over the single season lead. Bonds would finish the season with 73 homers, the single season record as he became the last player to hit 60 or more homers in a year.

As with McGwire and Sosa, Bonds’ accomplishments were shrouded in controversy. While he never failed a PED test, he was involved in the BALCO scandal as he was on their client list and was called to testify in front of a grand jury. In March 2011, he went to trial for obstruction of justice and three counts of perjury as there were claims he knowingly used PEDs, eventually being convicted on the obstruction charge. That conviction was thrown out four years later after a lengthy appeals process. Bonds also sued the league claiming that he was blackballed at the end of his career as he was unable to find a contract after the 2007 season.

Those charges, and his later admission that he used substances known as ‘cream’ and ‘clear,’ which he thought were flaxseed oils, certainly did not help his case. He also failed to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, although his 66.0% in 2022 was far closer than either McGwire or Sosa.

Aaron Judge – 2022

The belief was that there may never be another 60 home run hitter in MLB history. Aaron Judge changed that.

With the Yankees trailing 8-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning on September 20, Judge launched Wil Crowe’s 3-1 sinker deep to left to lead off the frame. That blast was a catalyst as Crowe never recorded an out in what would become a 9-8 walk-off victory for the Yankees.

Suffice to say that the Yankees have needed all of those homers. Judge had carried the offense alone at times, a one man wrecking crew that has put the team on his broad shoulders as he has dragged them into the postseason.

It is also a perfectly timed year. Judge is slated to enter free agency at the end of the season, having turned down a seven year extension worth just over $217 million. Considering that he has already made history with his 60th homer, and is threatening to make more history with a Triple Crown, he is likely to easily surpass that previous offer on the open market.

Aaron Judge had proven to be a dangerous slugger when healthy. He proved that by making MLB history as the sixth member of the 60 home run club.