Judge’s HR record, Messi’s World Cup among 2022′s biggest moments

Aaron Judge slugged his way to baseball immortality. Rangers came close to bringing a championship to New York. There were low moments, as teams failed to meet expectations and stars created controversies.

Aaron Judge set a new American League record with 62 home runs. He parlayed his historic season into his first AL MVP Award and a nine-year, $360 million contract with the Yankees.

Irving was suspended for eight games for sharing an antisemitic documentary on social media in October.

Mets have spent big during the offseason. They signed Justin Verlander, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and Carlos Correa. They also signed pitchers Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana and David Robertson.

Giants and Jets are no longer NFL punching bags. The Giants are 8-6-1 and are a win away from clinching their first playoff spot since 2016. Jets have slumped after a hot start and will get quarterback Mike White back from injury on Sunday.

Serena Williams is not retiring. She made it to the third round of the U.S. Open this summer.

Stephen Curry wins his first NBA Finals MVP. Golden State Warriors won the championship over the Boston Celtics. It was the first championship since 2018 for Curry.

Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen played a playoff game in January. It went to overtime and Mahome scored the winning touchdown. The game inspired a rule change allowing both offenses to get the ball in playoff games.

Albert Pujols hits his 700th home run. He needed to hit 21 to reach the milestone. PuJols hit 18 of his 24 home runs after the All-Star break.

Coach K retires after Final Four. He won 1,202 games in his coaching career. Coach K won five championships with Duke and 1 in the NCAA Tournament.

Lionel Messi has won his first World Cup. Messi played in a record 26 matches across five World Cups since 2006. His 13 goals in those matches are tied for the fourth-most ever.