(Reuters) – Major League Baseball set a record for home runs in a single season on Tuesday with Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon’s round-tripper in Toronto making it 5,694 for the year.
The previous record was set in 2000 during what has been dubbed the “Steroid Era”.
Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton has led the power resurgence this season with a league-leading 55 home runs, while rookie Aaron Judge has 44 to top the American League.
In 2014, there were only 4,186 home runs, the lowest total in a non strike-affected season since 1993. While there has been speculation that the upsurge in home runs is a result of changes to the baseballs themselves, MLB has denied it made any alterations to the ball.
(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
