Yankees: Bronx Bombers live up to nickname and break HR record

The Yankees broke the 1997 Mariners’ single-season home run record on Saturday in game #161.

The Yankees were expected to hit a lot of home runs this year. On September 29, they became the most prolific home run hitting team in baseball history. With a home run by Gleyber Torres in Saturday’s win against the Red Sox, the Bombers recorded their 265th homer as a team, which broke the regular season record.

Additionally, Torres’ home run came from the ninth spot in the order which as a result gave the Yankees at least 20 home runs from every spot in the batting order, a new record. This was after Luke Voit’s home run Friday night gave the Yankees another record with 12 players with ten or more homers.

When the Yankees tied the single-season record for a team on Friday with Aaron Judge’s solo blast it marked the first time the star slugger went yard since returning from a long stint on the disabled list. The fact that the moment happened in Fenway was just a nice bonus.

As previously mentioned, the 2018 Yankees were expected to break the home run record but how they did so might surprise some people. With the addition of NL MVP Giancarlo Stanton (who hit 59 home runs last year,) the return of Aaron Judge (who hit an AL-best 52 home runs,) and a homer-happy offense surrounding them, this team was poised to live up to their nickname. In fact it was surprising they didn’t break the record earlier.

Looking at the Yankees’ roster, the home runs have come from all sides. Stanton now has 38 after he added, #266 Saturday, and Judge has 27, which is tied for second on the team with Didi Gregorius, Aaron Hicks, and Miguel Andujar. Gleyber Torres has chipped in 24 while Gary Sanchez has slugged 18 long balls despite missing serious time with injuries. Voit has hit 13 total home runs while Brett Gardner has hit 12 of them. Neil Walker and Greg Bird have hit 11 each and Austin Romine has hit ten.

Say what you will about the Yankees’ pitching staff but Aaron Boone’s club sure hit dingers better than anybody. With a little luck, this high-powered offense could go a long way in the postseason because they sure seem like they’re getting hot at the perfect time.