Posted on 08/18/2017 12:16:26 PM PDT by EveningStar
If I’m Giancarlo Stanton, I’d feel conflicted about the Steroid Era, too. I’d think Roger Maris’ 61 home runs in a season is the legitimate record, too.
“Considering some things, I do,’’ he said Wednesday.
If I’m Stanton, I’d note the only three players to hit more than 61 home runs – Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa – had more performance-enhancing drugs in them than an East German swim team.
“But at the same time it doesn’t matter,’’ Stanton said. “The record is the record. But, personally, I do [think 61 is the record]...
If PED users like Bonds, McGwire and Sosa need an asterisk by their name, he said, so does Babe Ruth since he only faced white pitchers...
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
We assume he is not a juicer, I take it.
“...so does Babe Ruth since he only faced white pitchers...”
But if the Babe had Hank Aaron batting behind him, then he would have gotten a lot more good pitches to hit, right?
Records are made to be broken.
Yes. Yes he would be the legitimate single season home run champion if he hits 62.
:: the only three players to hit more than 61 home runs – Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa ::
When it was NOT AGAINST MLB rules to use PEDs. They are simply “guilty” of deceiving the fans.
The guy has 44 dingers over 117 games. I don’t think he needs to start concerning himself with a home run record.
The ball and bats are juiced!
On the other hand, did Sosa and McGwire go up against pitchers who were also juicing?
If anyone wants to compare home runs, they should only look at HRs in excess of 400 feet. Babe Ruth, playing in an era of dead baseballs, colossal ballfields, and shorter playing seasons, still managed to blast 60 dingers. If he played in today’s little-league parks, he would have easily stroked over 100 HRs that season. And probably 1,200+ for his career.
Records are made to be broken.
= = = = = = = = = =
Not really meaning to sound like an old ‘fuddy duddy’ BUT yesterdays players played under more ‘stressful’ conditions.
Of course they didn’t have Coast to Coast travel, played day games but also train travel and bus.
ALSO
In respect to the consecutive games hitting streak, players today get a day off and it didn’t go against them. I would like to know how many AT BATS Joe D and Pete R missed - taking a day off they ‘knew’ wasn’t consecutive games.
Then again, all they have to day is ‘change’ the wording to consecutive games he played.
No matter how true, say a pitcher gets a hit every time he starts. Would you give him ‘credit’ for a 32 game hitting streak?
I know, picky picky picky...
And yes, IMNSHO the pitcher should bat, four balls should be thrown for a walk - intentional or not - instant replay should be banned, an umpires ‘mistake’ is as much a part of the game as a batter swinging at a bad pitch or a pitcher throwing one over the backstop.
Yankees had a pitcher named Ryne Duren who was VERY effective as when he came in his first 3 or 4 warm up pitches resembled a shot gun blast.
Add to it that he wore ‘coke bottle glasses’ and not many people ‘dug in’ when the game resumed.
Used to be a batter hit a homer, next man up would be squeamish. With today’s rules, the next batter gets to plant himself, leaning over the plate as the pitcher doesn’t dare plunk him.
Sal Maglie wasn’t called the ‘Barber’ because he gave free haircuts in the clubhouse.
What strikes me about Ruth’s record isn’t so much that it stood for so long, but how much he beat the previous record holder. In 1899 Buck Freeman hit 25 home runs. Babe hit 29 in 1919, 54 in 1920, 59 in 1921, and 60 in 1927. In other words he more than doubled the previous record holder’s best. Maris beat him by one run in a longer season. Fair enough, he beat the best. But to truly match what Ruth did, someone would have to hit something like 140 home runs.
tps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Year_Babe_Ruth_Hit_104_Home_Runs
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