Season giving baseball fans reason to dust off record books
“You grow up watching those films of Babe Ruth and (Mickey) Mantle and these guys and 61 has always been that printed number as a kid.” GIANCARLO STANTON ON WHY HE THINKS 61 IS THE REAL SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUN RECORD
They say records are made to be broken, but sometimes things happen that challenge the concept of what actually constitutes a record.
Is it something that’s written in a book or can it be something many consider a record even if it’s not made official?
The official record for home runs in a single season, for example, is 73, set by Barry Bonds in 2001. But some old-schoolers still consider Roger Maris’s former record of 61 in 1961 the modern-day standard for home-run hitters.
The way things are shaping up, the debate soon will begin to heat up. With a major league-leading 44 homers going into Friday’s game at Citi Field, Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton was on pace to tie Maris’s old record, which since has been surpassed by Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and, of course, Bonds during the Steroids Era.
They’re still listed in the official record books and there are no asterisks involved. But is it really a record if no one trusts that the person actually set it without the help of modern chemistry?
“The record is the record,” Stanton told the Sun Sentinel. “But, personally, I do (think 61 is the record) . . . You grow up watching (The) Sandlot. You grow up watching those films of Babe Ruth and (Mickey) Mantle and these guys and 61 has always been that printed number as a kid.”
As Stanton gets closer to the mark in September, you’ll start hearing more arguments. No one is likely to break Bonds’ mark, but 61is 61, and if fans in opposing parks start cheering for Stanton to pass it, you’ll know the official record is irrelevant.
Aaron Judge, meanwhile, broke a record this week, though it was one of those obscure ones that only pop up when someone is close to beating it. After striking out in 33 consec- utive games, Judge broke the record for a non-pitcher set by Adam Dunn for the 2012 White Sox.
Judge may be a candidate for the AL’s Most Valuable Player and a shoo-in for AL Rookie of the Year, but he still had to answer questions about breaking the dubious mark.
“Was I aware (of it)?” Judge said afterwards with a grin. “I was told before the game that I tied the record. I think you just informed me that I broke the record, so thank you. There’s nothing I can really say.”
Entering the weekend, Judge was trying to avoid former pitcher Bill Stoneman’s all-time record of 35 straight games with a strikeout for the Montreal Expos in 1971.
Yet another unknown record was on the line this week when Reds slugger Joey Votto extended his streak of reaching base safely twice or more to 20 consecutive games. He was on the verge of snapping Ted Williams’ all-time record of 21 until the Cubs allowed him to reach only once Wednesday night.
“That’s crazy,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Votto’s streak.
During that streak, Votto hit .435 and tied a career high with a 17-game hitting streak. Teams have tried everything to stop him, including Maddon’s four-man outfield alignment.
“No matter the infield setup, no matter the alignment of the infield or outfield, I do the exact same thing,” Votto said. “It’s when I get caught up in what’s going on defensively when I get myself into trouble, (like) chang- ing my approach.”
The next individual record that may be challenged?
How about Mark Reynolds singleseason mark of 223 strikeouts? It was set in 2009 and nearly tied by Dunn, who had 222 in 2012 before “resting” for the finale. The Twins’ Miguel Sano had 168 strikeouts entering the weekend, with Judge close behind at 162.
Sano entered the weekend with 465 strikeouts in 305 games in his first three seasons. In comparison, Joe DiMaggio struck out 369 times in 1,736 games over his 13-year career.
The record everyone will be paying attention to in late September is the single-season wins mark of 116, set by the 1906 Cubs and tied by the 2001 Mariners (neither of whom won the World Series). With an 85-34 record entering the weekend, the Dodgers were on pace to tie the mark.
But since they’re running away with the NL West, it would seem likely they’d rest some regulars down the stretch, which could lessen their chances of winning. As of now, the Dodgers insist they’re not really thinking about getting to 116, but they’re obviously enjoying the chase.
“You never get tired of winning and shaking hands,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Those days that we don’t win, we don’t know what to do with ourselves.”