62

62 is Hoch’s forthcoming book (2023) celebrating Aaron Judge’s 2022 season where he not only flirted with hitting 62 home runs, eclipsing the longstanding American League records of Ruth and Maris, but did it. Hoch uses these three names to draw historical parallels, considering all were Yankee outfielders and did it in different eras. There are brief asides throughout the discussion of the 2022 season with glimpses of Maris’ 1961 season, giving proper historical perspective. The 2022 season ended up being a disappointment to Yankee fans, with the team jetting ahead to an incredible start in the first half and hitting a wall at the all-star break with nothing working out from the trade for Montas to the slump across the lineup, that is, the slump that did not include Judge.

The story (and at first it is hard to imagine that Judge is worthy of a story yet as his career is still in its prime and we don’t know where he ends up on the all-time lists) offers insight into who Judge is and how he handled his historic season as well as the turmoil of the contract negotiations up until he finally agreed to return to his only major league team.