Yankees Make Home Run History In Loss To Red Sox
On September 20, 2018, the Yankees made home run history in a loss to the Red Sox. While most of the focus on the game was centered on the Bosox clinching the A.L. East Division title, the Yankees accomplished something no other team in baseball history has by having 12 players on the team who hit at least 10 homers each for the same team in the same season. While some fans have commented it isn’t that big of a deal, considering that it has never happened before is pretty amazing.
On four occasions, a team has managed to get 11 players to a double-digit home run total. The Detroit Tigers did it first in 2004 according to Pinstripe Alley, and the Twins did it in 2016. The Astros did it twice, in 2015 and again in 2017. No National League team has never managed to pull it off, in large part due to the absence of the DH in their league. For the Yankees, it helped keep spirits up a bit as the Red Sox celebrated their division title by pouring champagne over each other in the visitor’s clubhouse.
It is worth pointing out that Luke Voit, who became No. 12 on the Yankee 10 or more homer list, wasn’t even on the Yankees 40-man roster until September 1 and has only played regularly for about one month. His sudden power surge, including three dingers in his last two games, put the Yankees in the record books. Andrew McCutchen has four home runs since joining the Yankees, so unless he gets extremely hot at the plate, the record is not likely to jump to 13 players.
LUUUUUUUUUUKE!!!!!!!
Luke Voit's home run gives the Yankees 12 players with 10+ HR which is a new MLB record.
AND this is the team's 246th homer this season which is a new franchise record ??????
? #YANKSonYES
? https://t.co/XTyNgHE72B pic.twitter.com/hyYcMNdt1H— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 21, 2018
The Yankees with 10 or more homers this year are Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Didi Gregorius, Miguel Andujar, Aaron Hicks, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sanchez, Brett Gardner, Greg Bird, Austin Romine, Luke Voit, and Neil Walker. When they update the history books, those will be the names they write down.
That isn’t the only home run record that the Yankees took on last night. Voit’s 10th home run was also the 246th for the Yankees on the season, which tied their all-time high franchise mark set in 2012. It is thought that is a record that will fall within the next two games. There are still two more home run records in play, although they may be just out of reach.
In one home run, Luke Voit breaks two records: a Yankee record and an MLB record. These are just the types of things you come to expect as a Yankee fan. We are the greatest fans in all of sports and we deserve this, no joke.
— Max Fairplay (@realMaxFairplay) September 21, 2018
The 1997 Mariners hit 264 homers as a team, per Baseball Almanac, so with only 10 games left to play, it looks like that record is safe this year, although if the Yankees get hot, it could conceivably fall. Voit’s pair of homers the previous night marked the 23rd multi-homer game for a Yankee on the season, which is one shy of the MLB record shared by the 1961 Yankees and 1966 Braves.
