There were a few hours Thursday, between about 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET, when Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger peeked ahead in the Major League Baseball home run race with his 40th homer in Miami. A few hours later, however, across the country, the Angels’ Mike Trout hit his 40th homer in a game against the White Sox.
So we have two Southern California sluggers each with 40 homers and a home run race for the ages, right?
Not so fast. There’s a lot more cars in the rear-view mirrors. Mets rookie Pete Alonso bashed his 39th home run to equal the Brewers’ Christian Yelich. And don’t count out the Braves’ Ronald Acuna or the Royals’ Jorge Soler, who each sit at 35 homers.
Mike Trout, Cody Bellinger, Pete Alonso and Ronald Acuña Jr. ALL homered today…
This is gonna be a home run race for the ages!https://t.co/dXTmXt9hw8
— Betsology (@betsology) August 16, 2019
The top contenders
The 1998 home run race is often remembered as a two-man charge between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa, and in the end it was. But for much of the summer, there was a third participant: The Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr., who as late as mid-August was within shouting distance of McGwire and Sosa.
This year’s race also looks like a three-man competition on the surface. There’s Bellinger and Yelich, the top contenders for the National League MVP who shot out of the gate like rockets and have been neck and neck all year. And there’s Trout, the perennial AL MVP front-runner who has caught Beli-Yeli.
It’s quite a cast of characters who are almost dead even, with Yelich just one homer behind Trout and Bellinger with about 40 games to go (39 for Trout and Bellinger, 41 for Yelich).
Better Homerun Race? pic.twitter.com/33eH0F3JIL
— @GloveLove.co (@russkontos) August 13, 2019
Some intruders in the race
The Mets’ Pete Alonso started out as a novelty and then became a rookie sensation. Now he’s a bona fide part of this race after hitting his 39th homer yesterday.
There are also other contenders. Acuna hit No. 35 on Thursday, and Soler has been on a tear of late. The Reds’ Eugenio Suarez has 33, and Max Kepler and Nelson Cruz of the Twins each have 32. Cruz is probably out, however, because injury has him stuck on 32.
And then there’s the team home run race. The major league record is 267, and three or more teams could blow by that mark this season. The Twins lead at 236, but the Yankees (222), Dodgers (211) and Astros (209) are all hot on their tail.
Gentlemen, start your engines.
HR Leaders This Season:#TheHaloWay Trout – 40#LABleedsBlue Bellinger – 40#ThisIsMyCrew Yelich – 39#LGM Alonso – 39#ChopOn Acuna Jr. – 35#AlwaysRoyal Soler – 35
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) August 16, 2019
