And the beat goes on . . .
Back in June, words in this space raved about the number of home runs being hit in Major League Baseball. The season was about half over, but the onslaught has continued unabated. In fact, 2019 will go down as the season where more balls sailed over outfield walls than in any other year.
After 85 per cent of the season had been completed, major league teams had crushed 5,580 homers — a pace that would take the final number to 6,564. The current record, set in 2017, is 6,105, That mark will be smashed, just like fastballs thrown by woebegone pitchers around Major League parks.
Want some specifics?
— Let’s start with the Minnesota Twins, who will wind up with more than 300 homers for the season, an average of nearly two per game. The old record was 267 set last year by New York Yankees.
— National League rookie-of-the-year-to-be Pete Alonso of the Mets hit his 42nd homer in late August. That mark is 16 more than the former team rookie record, and it’s also the most homers any Met has ever hit in a season. It’s also more homers than any National League rookie — ever — has hit in one season. (Aaron Judge, 52, and Mark McGwire, 49, were American League rookies with more than Alonso, but the season’s not over yet.)
— You may or may not have heard of Aristides Aquino, but he's a stud rookie with Cincinnati, who became the first major leaguer ever to hit 13 homers in 100 plate appearances. He reached that figure in 92 official at-bats. In at-bat No. 93, he belted No. 14.
— In 2018, 27 hitters smashed 30 or more homers. In 2019, there were 29 players with 30 or more — with a full month to go. And six more at 29 waiting to join the group.
— Is Yordan Alverez the next Babe Ruth? The Astros rookie belted 21 homers in his first 64 major league games, a pace that would give him 54 homers over a full 162-game season. He will be the American League rookie-of-the-year, joining the NL’s Alonso as best — and most powerful hitting — freshmen.
So is the baseball juiced? Has Major League Baseball doctored the balls to enhance fan-friendly home-run totals? Braves’ relief pitcher Mark Melancon is one who believes in the conspiracy theory, saying he is “100 per cent” certain that 2019 balls have been intentionally “juiced.” MLB has owned Rawlings, the company that makes the baseballs, since last summer.“The ball just doesn’t switch like that in an offseason,” Melancon said. “Records are being broken left and right, and it’s kind of ridiculous.”
- Comedy writer Jim Barach: “Thirty-four Major League players have already had career best seasons for home runs. The rest just haven’t had enough bats against the Orioles pitching staff yet.”
- Headline in theonion.com: “Derek Jeter Just Going To Go Ahead And Count Stray Cats In Marlins Attendance Figure”
- Vancouver comedian Torben Rolfsen, on the Packers-Raiders debacle in Winnipeg, on how to get even with Americans: “I think we should force an Argos-Lions game on them.”
- Bob Molinaro of pilotonline.com (Hampton, Va.): “Dwight Howard, returning to the desperate Lakers after an acrimonious departure from L.A. six years ago, is 33. But his back is 57.”
- Jeremy Schaap of ESPN, on Twitter: “Andrew Luck has retired because he couldn't take any more Antonio Brown helmet stories. Somebody had to do something to change the narrative.”
- Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times: “Not that we’ve been getting overinundated with college-football hype or anything, but just woke up in a cold sweat from a dream that Trump University was playing Electoral College.”
- Jim Barach again: “Former German basketball star Demond Greene says the USA National ‘C’ Team is still dangerous. Although if the U.S. just wanted to field a ‘C’ team why not just send the Knicks?”
- Headline at Fark.com: “Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire says he understands if he’s Gardenfired.”
- Janice Hough of leftcoastsportsbabe.com, on the newly christened Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl: “Can’t wait for them to say, ‘This one’s for all the Frosted Flakes.’ ”
- Another one from Jim Barach, on Nick Kyrgios calling the ATP ‘corrupt’ for fining him $100,000: “He may have a point after they asked for payment in small, unmarked bills.”
- From @SportsPickle, on why Tennessee fans are better than Colts fans: “If Marcus Mariota retired during this game, Titans fans would give a standing ovation.”
- Norman Chad of the Washington Post, on the Philadelphia Eagles keeping Carson Wentz at QB instead of Nick Foles, now a Jaguar: “The Eagles chose to keep likable lughead Carson Wentz, who has a 23-17 record, has never won a playoff game and is likely to reinjure himself walking into a shopping cart at Target.”
- Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca
