Judge, with just 3 games remaining in the regular season, led off the 2nd leg of a day-night doubleheader with a blast to left field at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

With the home run, #99 passes late Yankees star Roger Maris … who hit 61 HR’s in 1961.

In fact, several members of Maris' family were on hand to witness the historic moment.

Now, the million-dollar question (literally) is who caught the ball ... and do they trade it back to AJ? A memorabilia expert previously told us the ball could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.

The record wasn’t just the Yankees' high mark -- it was also the best ever by an American League player ... that is until about 10 minutes ago when 30-year-old, 6'7" Judge stepped to the plate.

Longballs aside, Judge — who will be a free agent next year — has had one of the best offensive seasons ever. AJ has knocked in 131 runs, batting leadoff much of the time, all while batting .310. He also has 176 hits and scored 132 runs.

Of course, Sammy Sosa (66), Mark McGwire (70) and Barry Bonds (73) all hit over 62 dingers in the N.L. … but their careers (and the record) have been tainted by allegations of the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Because of that, many baseball purists believe the true home run record is now held by none other than Aaron Judge.