Tyler Krenzin
Lantern Staff
Only two times in the history of baseball have there been an exorbitant amount home runs: the “Steroid Era” where players like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa broke records and fought for the right to be the home run king. This era isn’t called the “Steroid Era” for no reason. In 2010, McGwire admitted to The Associated Press that he used steroids during the 1998 season when he put up the best home run total in history. Sosa tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in baseball’s 2003 survey testing, according to The New York Times. Bonds is arguably the most famous of the cases of steroid use in the era, as his stretched the longest throughout his career and was ultimately found out when his “physician” was under investigation, according to an ESPN article outlaying the timeline of his steroid use. The other era is today, the amount of freak athletes and power hitters changing the way the game is being played and the records from the “Steroid Era” of baseball are in jeopardy for the first time.
Regular testing was not heavily enforced when these hitters made their marks, but today is a different story. Even with the strict rules of PED use, the MLB record of most home runs total in a season was shattered. Hitters like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton encapsulated America and rejuvenated a part of the game that is always exciting. It stands to reason that this will continue into this upcoming season, and the people will be excited to see it. With Stanton’s move to the New York Yankees over the off-season, we reach a new era for the “Bronx Bombers.” Judge and Stanton will hit in the same order, and Stanton will hit a park that is extremely better for hitting home runs. This all adds up for a rare occurrence. We could see this duo shatter records like never before, and one record that will be shattered by Stanton alone is the single season home run total
Fifty-nine was the magic number for Stanton last season as he hit himself to a league MVP. Fifteen more is what he would need to get past Bonds’ historic number of 73. Is it hard to believe that after coming from the stadium that allowed the fifth fewest home run percentage last, to the ball park that had the second highest would mean nothing? While the base percentage doesn’t really equate a record breaking season, the idea that a 28-year-old Stanton would be able to out hit the 36-year-old Bonds, no matter how many steroids Bonds was on. We are in the unique position to witness history, and I don’t think that there will be any news article 10 years later that will debunk anything that happens this year.
In New York, Stanton has the ability to be the magic moment, and I don’t think there would be a lot of people surprised if he smashed the record this season. Here’s to a great season Stanton and a repeat for league MVP.
