June HRs set monthly record

Justin Smoak's opposite-field drive dropped over the left-field wall in Toronto, and an eye-popping record had been set: Batters reached a home run mark for a month, shattering the syringe-fueled high of the Steroids Era.

Hitters went deep 1,101 times in June, topping the 1,069 of May 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"Global warming! The warmer it is, the farther the baseball's going to fly," joked Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon.

Humor aside, it became clear that far more than just weightlifting gave batters a lift as the 20th century ended. Offense declined after drug testing with penalties started in 2004 and amphetamines were banned in 2006.

But batters have perked up since the second half of the 2015 season. Four of the top six home-run months have occurred in 2017 or last year, with June joined by this May (1,060) along with last August (1,053) and June (1,012).

"I cannot offer you a concrete explanation for the increase in home runs," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote Friday in an email to The Associated Press. "We have tested the baseball extensively and are convinced that is not the answer. We have significantly increased our drug testing and are comfortable that PEDs are not the answer. Given these efforts, I feel that the increase in HRs is attributable to changes in the game and the approach of hitters that have been well documented."

June's average of 2.70 homers per game also set a mark, topping the 2.64 in May 2000.