That's it. The question is simple. Who do you say is the legitimate record holder for having hit the most home runs in a single season ?
Officially isn't it Barry (aka Big Head) Bonds, with 73? But for me, it's Roger Maris, with 61. And all time HR king, for me, is Henry Aaron, with 755. Just my opinion for who I consider the HR leaders. As for "legitimate", until or unless baseball decides to asterisk the cheaters, they(the cheaters) are considered the leaders. But in this waining fans mind, it's Maris & Aaron.
Roger Maris and Hank Aaron in my book. I didn't even know what this "officially" is anyway. It's not "official" as far as I'm concerned. Steroid players can't have performance records. The only records they can have are what teams they played for, what position they played, and the dates. That's it. Also, anyone who wishes to could put their own subjectivity into it. Such as I've heard some people say the real home run king could be Joe Dimaggio, who hit 361 home runs in 13 years, but notably hit them as a right-handed batter in the old Yankee Stadium whose centerfield fence was 461 feet, and left center was 457 feet. This was known as Death Valley and right handed power hitters lost hundreds of home runs to it, as fly ball outs that would have been home runs in any other ball park. Dimaggio may have lost more home runs to the left center valley than he hit. This left center fence was shortened to 430 in 1976 (too late for Dimaggio), to 411 in 1985, and to 399 in 1988.
Maris for a single season since he didnt need drugs to do it. Hank Aaron for career since he also did it without the help of drugs. On a side note Josh Gibson is said to have hit around 800 homeruns in his time in the Negro leagues, shame he never got a chance with the MLB.
It's Barry Bonds with 73. You might not like it, but that's what it is. There is never a pure record, there were segregated years, there are dead ball years and live ball years and lowered pitcher mounds, and steroids and all kinds of drugs used in the past before detection was possible. So unless they remove him from the book officially, it's Barry Bonds. What you can hope for is that he will never be in the Hall of Fame. He'll be outside looking in with Roger Clemens and Pete Rose and the ghost of "shoeless joe" Jackson.
The entire steroid era (1988-2003) needs to be wiped out. All records expunged, all players permanently ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Wipe it out completely. Everyone is guilty.
Bonds, obviously. Every other answer is wrong. - - - Updated - - - Yeah, this would be a horrible idea that damn near no baseball fan would support.
I'm sure Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, and Tom Glavine who just recently got inducted into the hall of fame completely disagree.
No, what didn't make sense was your argument to wipe out the statistics from 1988-2003, and pretend it never existed. What's actually hilarious about that is if one were to buy into your ridiculous assertion, why stop at 2003? You have players using steroids in baseball (and in other sports) right now in 2014.
Testing for steroids went into effect in 2004. Anyone who cheats should be barred from the Hall of Fame & have all records voided.
Maris and Aaron? they both played more games in a year than Babe Ruth did who is the TRUE home run king in BOTH areas.
Ruth did not have to face the great pitchers from the old Negro Leagues. It is a fact that Lou Gehrig, as great as he was, could never hit with any success against Satchel Paige. Ruth would have been equally unsuccessful against him.
Roger Maris and Hank Aaron played in more games than Babe Ruth so its no contest that Ruth is the all time single season record king especially since as you just pointed out the fences were so much further back back then.. now if we are talking modern day players then Maris would win. - - - Updated - - - I know you are trying to be funny.comedy gold. - - - Updated - - - I know you are trying to be funny.comedy gold.
I KNOW you are are trying to be funny.cheater Mcguire? thats the same as saying cheater shady Brady should be in the hall of fame.
