The 60-game 2020 MLB season is going to bring a bunch of oddities. Will someone hit .400? Which pitcher will record the most wins? Who will get hot and be this year's Home Run King?
With the shortened season, many records also will continue to stand. That includes one for the actual Home Run King, Barry Lamar Bonds, as well. Bonds holds the record for the most consecutive 30-homer seasons at age 30 or older when he did so for 10 straight seasons from 1995 through 2004. There's actually a surprising name on Bonds' tail, too.
Edwin Encarnacion, 37, has seven straight seasons of hitting at least 30 homers since he turned 30 ahead of the 2013 season. The Chicago White Sox slugger was looking to match Babe Ruth and Mike Schmidt with eight consecutive seasons of the feat, and continue going after Bonds' record. But can Encarnacion really hit 30 long balls in just 60 games?
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SIGN UP HERE It's highly, highly unlikely. To put more blunt, it's not going to happen.
Encarnacion hit 34 homers between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees last season. From 2013 through 2019, he averaged 36 dingers while playing an average of 140 games. Yeah, that's just 80 more regular-season games than will be played this year. It's also a stark difference compared to Bonds.
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From his age 30 to 39 seasons, Bonds hit 444 homers. That's an average of 44 per year, and he played an average of 144 games. Bonds even hit 45 home runs in his age 39 season.
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This record surely seems safe for a long time. Bonds defied Father Time. Encarnacion has as well, to a lesser-known degree, but this sprint of a season will see his run of at least 30 homers fizzle out.
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