You are not imagining that there are more homers than usual in 2017. In fact, MLB is 17 dingers away from breaking the record for the most homers hit by the league in a single season, set back in 2000. There were 14 homers on Monday night despite just seven games being played. So on Tuesday when we get a full slate of 15, chances are good we’re going to see someone mash the record long ball.
MLB is 17 homers away from breaking the single-season record
Tuesday’s Say Hey, Baseball looks at the record MLB is poised to smash, Mike Trout’s already ridiculous career value, and ‘Friends’, yes, the show, ‘Friends’.
Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images
Whether it’s changes to the ball (it is) or batters aiming for high fastballs and trying to hit fly balls (they are, but it’s mostly the changed baseballs), we’re seeing a huge increase in homers. In 2000, there were 5,693. So far in 2017, there have been 5,677, and we have [starts counting] ahahaha — seriously there are 15 days left in the season, good lord.
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MLB isn’t just going to pass 2000, it’s going to leave the old record in the dust. And unlike during the Steroid Era, which is called that despite the fact that it also featured a changed ball and smaller ballparks and two rounds of expansion that, even if briefly, changed the talent levels in the game in a way that likely benefited hitters, we shouldn’t hear many complaints about it. Rob Manfred was right: People like run scoring. And they like run scoring that doesn’t require moral questions and answers out of them even more.
So let’s just hope that we don’t find out that the balls themselves were injected with steroids, or else we’re all going to want to watch basketball instead.
- Mike Trout, who is 26 years old, is officially the most valuable player in the history of the Angels, who are much older than 26. Trout would also be the most valuable player for a number of other teams, including some that are even older than LAnaheim.
- It took 290 games for it to happen, but Clayton Kershaw finally allowed a grand slam. Aaron Altherr and the Phillies made it happen in a game that once again slowed the Dodgers’ quest for 100 wins.
- At least the loss helps Chase Utley avoid the awkwardness of clinching the NL West with the Dodgers while in Philadelphia.
- Speaking of Philly, it didn’t take long for fans to start naming babies after Rhys Hoskins.
- Friends is apparently still a huge hit in at least one circle, as many Spanish-speaking players learned English from the ‘90s show and still love and swear by it today.
- Freddie Freeman’s son is named Charlie, so obviously the only choice for a birthday party theme was Willy Wonka.
- Dustin Pedroia left Monday’s Red Sox-Orioles tilt early after fouling a ball off his face.
- Royals Review is already saying goodbye to some of its favorite Royals, who probably won’t be Royals for much longer.
- The Braves might not be good now, but there are reasons to feel optimistic about the future.
- Joe Mauer is finally hitting a little bit, close enough to make it work at first base for the Twins.
- With the season nearly over, MLB Daily Dish looked at the top free agent signing for each team.
- It looks like the Dodgers did see something the Reds did not with Tony Cingrani.
- We kicked it off with homers, so let’s end there, too: Giancarlo Stanton launched long ball number 55, helping keep 60 a realistic possibility.
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