Page 5 - My FlipBook

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THE LONG

HISTORY OF THE

LONG BALL

ith home runs flying out of ballparks at a record pace, baseball had never
Wseen anything like the 2019 season. Baseball’s modern era, stretching nearly
120 years, has seen its highs and lows. It has witnessed power surges and power

outages. But 2019 was special: it was the year of the home run.
From opening day, it was clear that 2019 would be a standout season. The

standing record for team home runs in a season was 267. Four teams overtook that
mark in 2019. The Minnesota Twins broke the record on August 31—with a full
month to go in the season. And the Twins kept slugging. They didn’t just break the

home run record. They destroyed it. Minnesota went on to set a new record with
307 home runs, and they did it in a home ballpark long considered pitcher-friendly.

The New York Yankees were close behind, slugging 306 big flies. Individual records
fell by the wayside as well. New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso hit 53 long
balls, the most ever by a rookie.

Major League Baseball (MLB) struggled to explain the remarkable season. Had
something changed with the materials that made up the balls? Were the hitters that
much better, or had they made changes to their swings that helped them hit long

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