BALTIMORE — The Baltimore Orioles are MLB’s new home run kings. Kind of.
On Wednesday at Camden Yards, the Orioles surrendered their 258th homer of the season, tying the 2016 Cincinnati Reds for most roundtrippers allowed by a team in a single campaign.
The record-tying blast came in the top of the third inning of Baltimore’s game against the Kansas City Royals, when Whit Merrifield sent a 1-1 fastball from O’s hurler Aaron Brooks over the left-center-field wall. The solo homer cut the Orioles’ lead to 3-1.
Though Tuesday night’s game, the Orioles were on pace to yield 333 home runs. With power numbers up across Major League Baseball, Baltimore isn’t the only team yielding long balls at a record rate. Through Monday’s games, the Mariners, Angels, Yankees, and Phillies were all on pace to give up more dingers than the 2016 Reds.
Nearly a quarter of Baltimore’s historic 2019 total has come against the division-rival Yankees. In 19 games against New York, Birds hurlers surrendered 61 jacks, shattering the mark for most homers allowed to one team in a single season.
This season, 3.7 percent of all MLB plate appearances have resulted in taters, up from 3.0 percent a year ago. Compared to 2014, when the league-wide rate was 2.3 percent, home runs have increased by roughly 60 percent. If the current rate holds throughout the rest of the season, it would break the all-time single season record of 3.3 percent, set during the 2017 campaign.
The rebuilding Orioles began play on Tuesday in last place in the American League East, owners of a 39-86 record that was second worst in the majors. Their team ERA of 5.98 was the highest in baseball by almost half a run.