Glad he passed A Rod. Solid seeming clean career. I’m rooting for him although I don’t follow baseball as much anymore. Still listen to the Pirates and Reds while in the shop, mostly though from habit since the 70’s. He’s got 698 and in the home stretch. The 700 milestone is pretty unique although somewhat tainted.

Almost 48 miles worth of HR trots

I wouldn't be surprised to see him pass Babe Ruth. I don't think he'll pass the real leader, Hank Aaron.

Would like to know who "Luis Puhols" is, and who he plays for.

Do you mean Albert Pujols?

Apologies. Yes, Albert Pujols. I had to look up how to spell his name and went with what came up. My mistake.

:::snork:::

😆😆😆. Never been much of a speller. Teacher sat me in the hallway during 8th grade Spanish.

Quick search brought up Luis which I went with mistakenly. Embarrassing! Funning thing is I remember Luis when he played for the Charleston Charlie’s back in the 70’s. I lived in Kanawha City and worked at Watt Powell as a vendor. Sold peanuts first then popcorn. Drink then was RC cola. Best money per tray but tough to carry for a kid. Luis and other players liked to ride our bikes when we arrived and used to play catch with us. He had some good years in the show as a catcher.

Go Albert!

The Astro Killer

I;d like to see him run to first when he hits one out!

Wish I still had my Wilson a2000

The Cardinals should go deep into the playoff, really should be in the WS, so Pujols has a good chance to pass The Babe.

Hard to really compare the game from Ruth's time until now though................much harder for Ruth, relative to today's conditions, IMO.

Bonds record is phony & fraudulent & Aaron played forever, much of that time on poorer teams so no need to pitch around him much, so he got so much better & many more, good looks at good pitches to hit.

If Ted Williams had had a full career, he probably would be near Aaron's numbers.................but sadly, he didn't.

JMHO

MM

Yep!

+100

Ted Williams had to take time out to fight in 2 wars. Read he was one heck of a good pilot.
He will always be the best hitter, in my book.

Bonds “record” should be struck from any and all record books.
Glad they didn’t let that POS in the Baseball HOF.

I had a hard time coming around to routing for Pujols after he punished the Astros for so many years in the NL. After the terrible contract helped neuter the Angels as AL West goes for so many years I’ve come around to not disliking him so much. Cheering for him.

As a ND boy and Yankee hater I’d prefer not to see judge hit 62 but it looks like a done deal.

Yep, he used to just devastate the Astros when he was with the Cardinals.

Poo hole

Take a look at the record holders for homeruns per at bat.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/at_bats_per_home_run_career.shtml

No one can eclipse Babe, he did it with less at bats, and still holds the record as far as 700 goes…


At-bats

Babe Ruth – 8,399
Hank Aaron – 12,364

Good lord. Pujols still around? Can’t believe he’s still playing.

He’s got to be Brady’s age.

From everything I have heard and read on him, he has studied and seems to have mastered his craft! I say, good luck Mr. Pujols!

Thanks Sharp, I didn't know Hank Aaron had 4k more at bats than the Babe.

No one will ever surpass Ted Williams’ 1941 batting average - .406 - with 37 homers and 120 RBIs. Instead of protecting his .400+ average, he went six for eight at bats in his last game that year. He was a hitter, not just a home run hitter, the likes of which it’s unlikely we’ll ever see again. And BTW, that was during an era that sacrifice fly ball outs counted against batting average (he had six that year).

I also agree with Shrapnel about the Babe. His ratio of home runs to at-bats is incredible.

I hope he makes it to 700. Good guy and good for the game with everyone trending towards shorter careers now. I doubt we ever see anyone get close again.

Ruth? Aaron? Nobody mentions Steroid Barry?

Wish he'd never left St. Louis in the first place but he is indeed a good guy and good for the game.
With the money being made today, there's no need for guys to prolong careers.

Seems fitting he's with St. Louis. The greatest baseball city in the USA.

NOBODY wanted to pitch to Ted Williams.

With two thousand more at bats to get to the 715 mark...

One would be hard-pressed to present a compelling argument against that.

One thing about the Babe though, he played is a park that was designed for his swing. The right field corner was very short. In my opinion Ted Williams was the greatest hitter of the modern era. Don't forget that Williams played in Boston where the right field bleachers were a long ways from home plate. He would lead most hitting categories if not for his military service.

Not sure why everyone is dogging on Bonds. He hit those long balls just the same as all the other guys
Not like he was using corked bats and huiced balls. Drugs are part of professional sports culture, no way around it. Roger Maris and his Era used Amphetamines, I'm sure the guys before that used whatever they could find.

You consider Ted Williams part of the modern era?

He gave some insight in '98 as to why no one would hit over .400 again. Starters don't go as deep in the games and he wasn't facing bullpen specialists. He got a lot of hits the 3rd or 4th time he saw a starter in a game. Not taking away from how good he was, just played/managed differently today.

This is his last season. He'd need to hit 17 in 2 weeks to pass Ruth. Not even 'Roids will get him there.

People love to virtue signal. Bonds is a world class ass, but he was a multiple MVP winner and future HOF'er before he ever stuck a needle in his butt. I don't have a issue with Bonds, McGuire or Sosa being inducted into Cooperstown. It wasn't hormones that put that the bat on the ball, it was elite hand eye coordination. Did the PED's distort the numbers? Sure. So take 100 HRs off of all their stats and they are still HOFers.

Huge carsinals fan and have been a huge albert fan since day one. Was at the game in pitt and saw him smack number 696

And in the end, I wouldn't surprised if they found out that Puhols was 'juiced' along the way . . . . .

Are you forgetting it is 302 ft down the right field line at Fenway and hitting the monster is an easy hit (think Wade Boggs)? Old Yankee Stadium (when Ruth played) had dead center at 490' and the alleys were 460 and 429 feet.

Interesting take on HR's lost at old Yankee Stadium

Still, hard to beat Ted Williams.

If Williams would have hit against the shift?

Yes, in the very corner, but it got deep in a hurry. Babe was a dead pull hitter and the park was designed for his swing. Just like Williams wouldn't be able to hit .400 today because of changes in strategy- relief specialists instead of mop up, Babe would be facing specialists in later innings too and his ultra heavy bat would make him susceptible to off speed stuff.

Yes he would have hit away from the shift....he was that good

Got news for you. Cleveland manager Lou Boudreau INVENTED the [bleep] specifically for Ted Williams.


"As the Cleveland Indians shortstop, Lou Boudreau had seen firsthand the damage Ted Williams could do at the plate. And as the team’s manager, he was determined to do something about it.

Williams had hit three home runs and a single, driving in eight runs, in the first game of the Sunday doubleheader against the Indians at Fenway Park, and for the second game, Boudreau had a trick up his sleeve.

“I had thought about it for weeks,” Boudreau said in 1970 as his induction into the Hall of Fame loomed. “Right then and there, between games of the doubleheader, I decided to use the shift.”1

The idea of a shift—stacking one side of the field against a hitter—wasn’t a new one. Cy Williams of the Phillies had been the victim of a shift in the 1920s. White Sox manager Jimmy Dykes had already used one against Ted Williams, a noted pull hitter to right field.

But Boudreau said it wasn’t a tactical ploy; it was a psychological one. “My plan was predicated on the belief that Williams, who made no secret of the fact that he wanted to be known as the greatest hitter of all time—which I think he was—would be too proud to adjust his style to counteract my strategy, that it would be beneath his dignity to change,” Boudreau said in his autobiography.

With Indians players in their typical positions, Williams doubled in his first at-bat of the game, leading off the bottom of the second and starting a rally that included two doubles, two singles and a fly ball to give the Red Sox a 3-0 lead. The Indians cut the gap to 3-1 in the top of the third, when Hank Edwards singled to score Jack Conway.

Williams came to the plate for the second time in the game with two outs in the bottom of the third. Boudreau yelled, “Yo!” and players changed positions. First baseman Jimmy Wasdell and right fielder Edwards were almost to the foul line. Conway, at second base, moved toward first, in the outfield grass. Third baseman Ken Keltner was behind second base, also on the grass. Center fielder Pat Seerey was playing where a right fielder might normally play, and Boudreau was just to the right of second base.

The only Indians player on the left side of the field was left fielder George Case, playing what Boudreau termed “deep shortstop."

Definitely! The Babe was the greatest.

People love to virtue signal. Bonds is a world class ass, but he was a multiple MVP winner and future HOF'er before he ever stuck a needle in his butt. I don't have a issue with Bonds, McGuire or Sosa being inducted into Cooperstown. It wasn't hormones that put that the bat on the ball, it was elite hand eye coordination. Did the PED's distort the numbers? Sure. So take 100 HRs off of all their stats and they are still HOFers.[/quote]

Agree AND disagree 😉

Bonds probably would have been a HOF without juicing. Still , if you put a decline trend on his numbers at the normal point/age his numbers would look more like Fred McGriff. Very good numbers, HOF ?

Sosa’s numbers really took off at a certain ‘point’ . Hmmm

Personally, with no scientific backup, I think one of the biggest benefits the roids gave them was healing injuries more quickly and keeping them in the game.

Think Mantle with 2 or 3 more healthy seasons.

My personal belief is I would not vote for Bonds, McGuire or Sosa. You might disagree and you might be right.

The Bennys definitely were a factor earlier on. How much over the course of a career ?

If Pete Rose ( king of rectal cavities) isn’t in the HOF it’s kind of a joke , in my opinion.

My thoughts worth what you paid for them.

It’s still a great game

Well....they test the players so.....

Agree for the most part. IMO, one thing that seperates Bonds from McGuire and Sosa is that he never tested positive and AFAIK never admitted it.

Kinda crazy that both the all times hits leader and all time HR leader are not in the hallowed Hall...

I also find it quite interesting who gets to vote for admission into the MLB Hall of Fame. I don't think writers are the appropriate litmus test.

Bonds was a very lean 185 early in his career at 185 pounds. He was 228 when he hit 73 home runs. It was an abnormal body transformation for any athlete.