Season homer record falls

Jonathan Villar hit a tiebreaking, record-setting three-run homer in the seventh inning, and the host Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-3 Wednesday night to end a six-game losing streak.

Villar’s drive off Caleb Ferguson (1-2) was the 6,106th in the majors this season, breaking the previous mark of 6,105 in 2017. The milestone shot came on a fastball that Villar sent deep into the left-field seats to snap a 2-2 deadlock.

Pedro Severino added a two-run drive in the eighth.

Having clinched the NL West title on Tuesday night before indulging in an alcohol-themed celebration, the Dodgers did not appear to play with their usual intensity.

There are plenty more to come, too — the home run record was broken with 18 days left in the regular season. The rise in home runs during recent seasons has been tied to changes in the baseballs that have made them fly farther.

The Minnesota Twins led the majors with 277 after Jorge Polanco connected in the third inning against Washington ace Stephen Strasburg at Target Field. The Twins’ total is the most for a team in a single season.

In August, big league batters broke the monthly home run record for the third time this year when they hit 1,228 home runs, the Elias Sports Bureau said Sunday. That surpassed the 1,142 in June and 1,135 in May.

There were 5,585 home runs last year.

In 2017, Alex Gordon hit the record-breaking 5,694th homer of the season. That topped the mark set in

2000 at the height of the Steroids Era.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Blue Jays 8, Red Sox:

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Trent Thornton and three others combined on a twohitter, Teoscar Hernandez and Rowdy Tellez homered, and host Toronto beat Boston. The slumping Red Sox have lost five straight. They had just four baserunners, and none advanced past second base.

Yankees at Tigers: The

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game between New York and Detroit was rained out Wednesday night, and the game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Thursday afternoon.