Yesterday, the Baltimore Orioles, with the second-worst record in all of baseball, set a new MLB record by hitting multiple (two or more) home runs in their tenth consecutive game. It’s the kind of story we’ve been hearing all season long (along with a tale about how the ball itself hasn’t changed) – as home run records seem to be falling just as fast as long balls are dropping into the stands. It seems that, almost daily, we hear about new “highs” or “fastest to” accomplishments when it comes to dingers.
Just how much has the game changed, when it comes to the long ball? This may shed some light:
- Going into this season only five teams in MLB history had hit 250 or more home runs in a season. Currently, eight teams are on a pace to top 250 long balls in 2019.
- The current MLB record for team home runs in a season is 267 (2018) Yankees. The Twins are on a pace to hit 313 home runs this season – topping the old record by 46 home runs. Further, both the Dodgers and Brewers are on pace to top the existing 267 mark.
- The single-season record for home runs in all of major league baseball is 6,105 (2017). MLB is on a pace to see 6,694 long balls in 2019.
Past MLB teams with 250 or more home runs in a season:
- 2018 Yankees (267)
- 1997 Mariners (264)
- 2005 Rangers (260)
- 1996 Orioles (257)
- 2010 Blue Jays (257)
Primary resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com
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