Chicks dig the long ball. That 1990s marketing slogan basically defined a generation of baseball fans, and honestly, it still rings true today. When we talk about the home run record in one season, we aren’t just talking about a number in a dusty record book. We’re talking about a number that defines eras, starts bar fights, and makes grown men argue about the "sanctity of the game" like they’re defending a medieval cathedral.
It’s 73.
Wait, or is it 62?
Maybe it’s 61?
That’s the problem. Depending on who you ask—and how much they value "purity" versus raw data—the answer changes. If you look at the official Major League Baseball record books, Barry Bonds sits at the top with 73 home runs in 2001. But if you walk into a sports bar in the Bronx, they’ll tell you Aaron Judge is the real king because he hit 62 in 2022 without a cloud of steroid allegations over his head. It's messy.
The Evolution of the Single Season Mark
For a long time, the number was 60. Babe Ruth hit 60 in 1927, and people thought that was it. Impossible to beat. Ruth was a titan, a man who out-homered entire teams by himself. Then 1961 happened. Roger Maris, a guy who didn't particularly love the spotlight, found himself chasing the ghost of the Bambino. He hit 61. But because the season had been lengthened from 154 games to 162, Ford Frick—the commissioner at the time—decided there should be an "asterisk."
It took decades for that asterisk to go away.
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Then came 1998. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa saved baseball. That’s not an exaggeration. After the 1994 strike, fans were checked out. The parks were empty. Then these two giants started launching rockets every night. McGwire ended at 70. Sosa at 66. It was magical until we found out about the chemistry experiments happening in the locker rooms.
By the time Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001, the "magic" had turned into skepticism. Bonds was 37 years old. He was playing like a video game character with the sliders turned all the way up. He walked 177 times that year. Think about that. Even when pitchers were terrified to throw to him, he still managed to clear the fence 73 times. It is, statistically, the most absurd season in the history of professional sports.
Why 62 Changed Everything Again
Fast forward to 2022. Aaron Judge enters the chat. The pressure was different for Judge. He wasn't just chasing a number; he was chasing the "clean" record. When he hit his 62nd home run against the Rangers, it felt like a collective exhale for a certain segment of baseball fans.
Roger Maris Jr. was literally in the stands for weeks, following Judge around. He openly stated that he considers Judge the true record holder. That creates a weird rift in the sport. You have the "Official Record" (Bonds, 73) and the "American League/Non-PED Record" (Judge, 62).
The Physics of the Long Ball
You can't talk about the home run record in one season without talking about the ball itself. Fans call it "juicing the ball." In 2019, home runs flew at a rate we’d never seen before. Justin Verlander famously called the balls "a joke."
The data backed him up.
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Seams were lower. The drag coefficient was down. Basically, the balls were slicker and flew further. When you look at why records are threatened today, it’s a mix of three things:
- Launch angle obsession (players literally swing up now).
- Exit velocity tracking (if you don't hit it 100 mph, you're doing it wrong).
- Optimized ball construction.
Baseball is a game of inches, but the home run record is a game of millimeters and atmospheric pressure. A hot night in Arlington is a lot different than a damp afternoon at T-Mobile Park.
The Steroid Shadow
We have to address the elephant in the room. The "Steroid Era" (roughly 1994 to 2004) owns the top of the leaderboard.
- Barry Bonds: 73 (2001)
- Mark McGwire: 70 (1998)
- Sammy Sosa: 66 (1998)
- Mark McGwire: 65 (1999)
- Sammy Sosa: 64 (2001)
- Sammy Sosa: 63 (1999)
- Aaron Judge: 62 (2022)
See the pattern? Six of the top seven spots belong to guys heavily linked to performance-enhancing drugs. This is why the home run record in one season is so polarizing. It’s the only record that requires a history lesson to explain. If you look at the NFL’s rushing record, nobody cares what Eric Dickerson ate for breakfast. But in baseball, the "how" matters as much as the "how many."
What Most People Get Wrong About the Chase
People think it’s just about strength. It’s not. It’s about fatigue.
By August, your legs are gone. Your hands are covered in blisters. Your vision is slightly off because you haven't had a day off in three weeks. To hit a home run record in one season, you have to stay healthy. Roger Maris started losing his hair in 1961 because of the stress.
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Aaron Judge is 6'7" and 280 pounds. The sheer torque his body generates is violent. Maintaining that mechanics for 162 games is a miracle of sports medicine. Most guys break down. Their oblique muscles snap or their wrists give out.
The Future: Is 73 Reachable?
Honestly? Probably not.
Pitching is too good now. In the 90s, you’d face a starter who threw 91 mph and stayed in for seven innings. Now, you face a guy throwing 101 mph for two innings, followed by three relievers who all throw 99 mph with "disappearing" sliders. The "stuff" is just better.
Also, the shift might be gone, but the scouting is better than ever. Pitchers have heat maps that tell them exactly where a hitter can’t reach. If you’re chasing 70, pitchers just stop throwing you strikes. They’ll put you on first base and take their chances with the next guy.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Fan
If you want to truly appreciate the hunt for the home run record in one season, don't just look at the box score. Use the tools available to see what's actually happening.
- Check Statcast's "Expected Home Runs": Sometimes a guy hits a "cheapie" that only goes out in Yankee Stadium. "Expected HR" tells you how many parks that ball would have cleared.
- Watch the "Barreled" Ball Rate: This is the best predictor of a hot streak. If a player is consistently hitting the ball at the optimal angle and speed, a record chase might be brewing.
- Ignore the "On-Pace" Graphics in May: Every year, someone hits 12 home runs in April. The media goes wild saying they're "on pace for 80." They aren't. The "dog days" of August are where record chases go to die.
- Value the Context: A home run hit in the 9th inning of a tie game is mentally harder to achieve than one hit in a 10-0 blowout.
The record is a moving target. It’s a reflection of the era it was set in. Whether you believe the number is 73 or 62, the obsession with the long ball isn't going anywhere. It's the heartbeat of the sport.
To track the current season's leaders and see if anyone is threatening the historic marks, monitor the daily Statcast exit velocity leaders. Pay close attention to players with a "Barrel %" above 15%, as these are the athletes statistically most likely to sustain a high-volume home run pace over 162 games. Real-time park factors should also be considered; a player moving from a pitcher-friendly park to a hitter's haven mid-season is often the catalyst for a late-summer record surge.