Aaron Judge’s historic 62-home run season concluded just nine months ago, but given the free agency drama and the uncertainty surrounding the legendary slugger’s future with the Yankees the following winter, it feels like a lot longer ago.
With that in mind, what better time to revisit the path to history, from the perspective of Judge, his Yankee teammates and coaches, and a reporter who was there every step of the way?
When Judge was officially re-signed to a nine-year, $360 million deal after surpassing Roger Maris last fall, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner handed Judge a pinstriped No. 99 jersey at his press conference and told the new Yankee lifer, “this, you’ve worn before.” Bryan Hoch, the Yankees beat reporter for MLB.com, could say the same when it comes to writing in-depth retellings of recent Yankee history. He co-authored “Mission 27,” chronicling the path to the Bombers’ last World Series title, wrote “Baby Bombers,” looking back on the wave of youth that pulled the Yankees out of (very brief) mediocrity, and “The Bronx Zoom,” which retold the bizarre experience of the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.
Now, with “62,” Hoch again shows why the passing of time isn’t necessary to retell an intriguing story.
You won’t find a cookie-cutter rehash of Judge’s pursuit of history within the pages of “62,” set to hit shelves on July 11. Instead, you’ll be taken back to the daily exhilaration of wondering whether one of the great homegrown Yankees would surpass an iconic record that is recognizable just by number. Sixty one. It is one of many achievements in Yankee history that serves as a connective tissue through the generations of Yankee history, and keeps the bond between past and present so strong in the Bronx. Hoch strengthens that connection by paralleling Judge’s chase of 61 to Roger Maris’ chase of 60, including interludes within the book to highlight just how different Maris’ experience was as he looked to topple Babe Ruth.
Some of the best moments of the book come when Judge himself is faced with those history lessons, whether it be touring the Yankees Museum in The Stadium during his home run chase and holding some of the lumber Ruth and Maris used during their own memorable summers. Or when Judge was gifted a magazine containing a feature on Maris in 1961, the last time before Judge that a Yankee reached 60 home runs in a season. Hoch’s “62” successfully reveals Judge as a modern superstar still in awe of the history he was in the process of chasing.
Judge, like Maris, never offered the most colorful or revealing quotes when talking with reporters, so Hoch smartly leans on the recollections of Judge’s teammates and coaches to relive what it was like having a front row seat of history, all the way through the unforgettable nights in the Bronx for No. 60, in Toronto for No. 61, and Texas for No. 62.
Hoch reveals in the book that he pitched the idea to Judge with the caveat that it was about much more than just Judge’s chase, and he followed through. The book depicts the Yankees season as a whole, goes back to Judge’s roots and struggles in 2016, chronicling the story of how Judge reworked his swing and approach before his rookie campaign in 2017 in what is one of the strongest chapters of the book. The story follows Judge all the way through his free agency, capturing the tension among the Yankee brass and detailing Judge’s every move until putting pen to paper and committing to the Yankees for likely the rest of his career.
It wouldn’t have felt right to see Judge in anything but Yankee pinstripes one season after breaking the franchise’s most iconic record, and just as Judge seems in the right place in right field at Yankee Stadium, Hoch proved that he was once again that when it comes to chronicling another monumental chapter in recent Yankee history, he is the right man for the job. Case closed.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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