Bud Selig Was Right
Fans Want Home Runs and Strike Outs and That's What They Are Getting
Home runs and strikeouts are exciting. They keep casual fans interested because both are dramatic. They are fun.
Bud Selig was right. Fans want to see batters hit home runs and pitchers strike out hitters. It is that simple and has resulted in the greatest baseball attendance figures in the game's history. Owners and players have never made such huge amounts of money thanks to the demise of the pitcher, and it is a trend that will continue because fans love it.
Hit a Home Run or Strike Out Trying
The transition to Arena Baseball started in earnest after the 1994 World Series was cancelled. Fans vowed to give up the game, but just like the fat kid who gave up cookies until he walked by a bakery, fans returned to the ball parks thanks to a home run race between two tainted sluggers. Smaller ball parks, a lively ball, the designated hitter, and an ever-changing strike zone have ushered in the era of Arena Baseball. Let's score some runs or strike out trying.
New Single Season Home Run Records
Since 1995, the following players have set new single season home run records for their teams:
PLAYER HRs TEAM YEAR
Luis Gonzalez 57 Arizona 2001
Andruw Jones 51 Atlanta 2005
Brady Anderson 50 Baltimore 1996
David Ortiz 54 Boston 2006
Sammy Sosa 66 Chicago(N) 1998
Albert Belle 49 Chicago(A) 1998
Jim Thome 52 Cleveland 2002
Larry Walker 49 Colorado 1997
Todd Helton 49 2001
Gary Sheffield 42 Florida 1996
Jeff Bagwell 47 Houston 2000
Troy Glaus 47 Anaheim 2000
Shawn Green 49 Los Angeles 2001
Richie Sexson 45 Milwaukee 2003
Richie Sexson 45 2001
Carlos Beltran 41 New York(N) 2006
Todd Hundley 41 1996
Ryan Howard 58 Philadelphia 2006
Greg Vaughn 50 San Diego 1998
Barry Bonds 73 San Francisco 2001
Ken Griffey Jr. 56 Seattle 1998
Ken Griffey Jr. 56 1997
Mark McGwire 70 St. Louis 1998
Jose Canseco 34 Tampa Bay 1999
Alex Rodriguez 57 Texas 2002
Alfonso Soriano 46 Washington 2006
Twenty Two Teams Have New Single Season Home Records
Twenty two of baseball's thirty team have had new single season home records set since 1995. Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Tampa Bay are expansion teams, but only Tampa Bay hasn't had a player hit at least 40 home runs in a season. When Ryan Howard hit 58 home runs last season, he beat Hack Wilson's old National League mark of 56, a record that stood from 1930 until the days of Mark McGwire. Home runs usually come at a price, and it is a price that fans love almost as much as the home runs.
Record Setting Strikeouts
Adam Dunn is a contact-challenged hitter who averages 40 home runs and 184 strikeouts a season. Now, examine that last number closely. It is unbelievable. In 2004, Dunn set a record by striking out 195 times. Two seasons later, he missed tying the record by a single swing. He is not alone. Striking out is no longer thought to be a disgrace by modern sluggers or fans because they find it thrilling to see players swing from the heels and either hit a home run or miss.
Randy Johnson Was Unbelievable
While today's pitchers don't amass Nolan Ryan like season strike out totals because their innings pitched are limited, they certainly strike out a lot of batters. In 2007, Eric Bedard, a hugely underrated Baltimore lefty, has averaged 11.08 strikeouts per 9 innings. Scott Kazmir is right up there with 9.27 whiffs per 9 innings. However, the king is Randy Johnson, who in 2001, pitched 249 2/3 innings and struck out 372 batters for an average of 13.41 strikeouts per 9 innings.
Some Exciting Plays Rarely Occur
Alan "Bud" Selig has made many mistakes and has been called many names, but it is undeniable that he and the fans agree that the home run and the strike out are two of the most exciting plays in baseball. Yes, an inside the park home run, a double being stretched into a triple, and a leaping catch against the fence to take a home run away are thrilling, but they can't be made to happen frequently, which is not true about home runs and strikeouts.
References:
Single Season Home Run Leaders at Baseball Reference
