Yankees tie longball record

mintluster

"Yankees tie longball record"
Matsui's seventh-inning homer is 240th for New York
By Mark Feinsand / MLB.com

NEW YORK -- The Yankees tied their single-season record for home runs on Thursday night, as Hideki Matsui's seventh-inning blast was New York's 240th of the season.
The mark, previously held by the 1961 Yankees, can be broken with one home run over the team's final three games this weekend in Toronto.

The Yankees boast six players with at least 20 home runs, also tying the club mark set in 1961. Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield lead the team with 36 homers, followed by Matsui (31), Derek Jeter (23), Jorge Posada (21) and Bernie Williams (20).

Rodriguez and Sheffield are the first two right-handed hitters to hit at least 35 homers for the Yankees in the same season.

Ruben Sierra has chipped in 17, while Tony Clark has 16, giving New York eight players with at least 15 taters -- the most in big league history. Add Jason Giambi's 12, and the Yankees have nine players in double-digits. The Major League record is 10, held by seven teams, including the 1998 Yankees.

The 1961 team was led by Roger Maris, who hit a then-single-season record of 61. Mickey Mantle bashed 54 long balls, followed by Moose Skowron (28), Yogi Berra (22), Elston Howard (21) and Johnny Blanchard (21). Clete Boyer was the only other player on the team with double-digits, as he hit 11.

The Yankees are one of only two teams in big league history to hit at least 200 homers in five consecutive seasons, joining the Chicago White Sox. Each team has accomplished the feat over the past five years.


Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

FC57Coins

and then break it in the 9th - YANKEES WIN!!! DOOOOOOOOOH YANKEES WIN!

DirtyHarry

So what. Means nothing. I am a Yanks fan, and thought it was cool when the O's busted it in the early 90's...before Angelos realized he had a good team. That was an accomplishment at the time!

murcerfan

I remember the Yankee Bashers around here last year proclaiming that Matsui was totally over-rated and was a sloppy outfielder with no speed who would be a mid level player hitting around .280 with 20 hr's and 85 rbi.........

.........which Nostradamus was that ...Stalin perhaps ?

FC57Coins

GODZILLA's da bomb!

DeutscherGeist

Olerud could hit one more homer in the next three games. He would have 10 total, but 5 with the Yankees. Does that still count as a player who got double digits for the Yankees? That would tie the record of having at least 10 homers from each player.