On the heels of a homer-heavy Tuesday across the majors, the MLB record for home runs hit in a single season is certain to fall Wednesday night when the 22nd blast of the day pushes the 2019 total past the current mark of 6,105, set in 2017.
From the first at-bat of Wednesday’s action to the moment when that record-setting homer leaves the yard, we’ll be counting down every long ball and diving into the numbers behind this record-setting Year of the Home Run.
Countdown to the new MLB home run record
There are 14 games on the schedule Wednesday (Yankees-Tigers was rained out) and an average of 2.8 home runs being hit per game this season, meaning that the biggest question of the night is which player will be lucky enough to hit the record-setting blast.
Most home runs hit in a single season
2017: 6,105
2019: 6,088 … and counting
2000: 5,693
Mike Moustaskas is back in the Brewers lineup and he unloads for a three-run homer in the top of the third in Miami — his 32nd and first since August 21 (he’s been out with a wrist injury) and the 6,088th of 2019. We’re 18 away from breaking the record.
The New York Mets are doing their part to get us to a new single-season home run record tonight. Todd Frazier and Brandon Nimmo hit back-to-back jacks and we’re now 19 away from a new mark.
And we’re off and running on the night the MLB home run record is set to fall! Milwaukee’s Trent Grisham belted his first career leadoff homer, moving us 21 long balls away from a new all-time single-season mark.
Back in 1975, it was determined that the one millionth run in MLB history would be scored in May. MLB hyped the feat with a countdown scoreboard in every park and the player who scored the millionth run would receive a Seiko watch … and one million Tootsie rolls. (It was a simpler time.) With one run to go, two players got thrown out at home plate. In Cincinnati, the Reds’ Dave Concepcion hit a home run and sprinted around the bases and the team celebrated the millionth run. Alas, the Astros’ Bob Watson had scored a second or two earlier and he got the watch and Tootsie rolls. So, all I ask is that when the record-breaking home run is hit tonight that player sprints around the bases and is rewarded with 6,106 Tootsie rolls.
The Year of the Home Run is a team effort
An incredible 16 teams are on pace to set a new franchise for home runs this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the most to set a new franchise record in a single season was 12 in 2000. Five teams — the Dodgers, Twins, Yankees, Padres and Astros — have already set their franchise mark.
The 2017 season saw 17 different teams with at least 200 home runs, the most in a single season in MLB history. There have already been 18 teams to hit 200 HRs this year. We’re on pace to have 23 teams hit 200 homers this year.
Both the Twins and Yankees have blown past the previous single-season mark for a team (267 by the 2017 Yankees) and are in a back-and-forth battle to end 2019 with the title.
Someone’s probably going to get to 50 home runs
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Pete Alonso hits his 46th and 47th home runs of the season as he powers the Mets to a 3-1 win.
Six players have already hit at least 40 home runs this year, highlighted by MLB-leading Pete Alonso, whose 47 homers put him just five away from tying Aaron Judge‘s rookie record set in 2017.
His season-ending knee injury means Christian Yelich won’t add to his career-high 44 homers — but these sluggers all have a legitimate shot at joining the 50-home run club:
Pete Alonso: Current total, 47; projected, 53
Mike Trout: Current total, 45; projected, 50
Cody Bellinger: Current total, 44; projected, 49
Eugenio Suarez: Current total, 44; projected, 49
Jorge Soler: Current total, 41; projected, 46
Name a benchmark and these guys are hitting it
While the names at the top of the leaderboard are impressive, we wouldn’t be talking about a new standard for home runs for a season if it wasn’t for the league-wide rise in long balls. In all, a whopping 523 players have hit home runs this season and there are staggering totals for number of players hitting every round number.
Players with …
30 home runs: 40
20 home runs: 108
10 home runs: 256
Pick a day, any day
Yes, the single-season record is going to fall on a Wednesday night — but players are going deep on every day that ends in a “Y.” Saturday currently stands as the leader for home runs by days of the week, with Monday (often a baseball travel day) lagging behind others.
Here’s the breakdown by day this season:
Sunday: 950
Monday: 659
Tuesday: 967
Wednesday: 856
Thursday: 712
Friday: 937
Saturday: 1,003
If you are more of a monthly tracker
MLB has rewritten the record books for home runs in every month played this season. While early long ball totals had fans wondering if the pace would eventually slow down, the answer has been a resounding “no,” with players actually going deep more frequently as the season has progressed.
Home runs hit by month
March/April: 1,144
May: 1,135
June: 1,142
July: 1,057
August: 1,228