Pitchers tossing six no-hitters in the first two months. Batters for 27 of the 30 clubs piling up more strikeouts than hits. Hitters combining for the lowest collective batting average in more than 50 years.
All of the evidence suggests that 2021 is being dominated by the men on the mound.
But hitters have occasionally struck back, as Jesse Winker did on May 21. The Reds left fielder led off the first inning with a single off Brewers starter Adrian Houser. He went deep the next two times, homering in the third and fifth innings. He walked on five pitches in the sixth, then closed his day with another home run in the eighth.
Winkler’s bottom line: 14 bases, no outs. It was the best day that any batter has enjoyed so far in 2021. And, oh yes, the Reds won easily, 9-4.
Six batters have reached at least 12 bases in a single game this year. They’re listed below, along with the rest of the season’s 10 outstanding performances at the plate. At the very bottom is a team-by-team rundown of single-game leaders.
Each batter’s total begins with all bases reached through hits — one for a single, two for a double, you get the pattern. Then other ingredients are added to the mix: walks, hit batsmen, stolen bases, sacrifice hits, and sacrifice bunts. (The latter two are included because they net bases for the team.)
The top-10 list is ranked by bases, but if we stopped there, all sorts of ties would result. These logjams are decided by a series of tiebreakers — fewest outs in the game; then most scoring (SC), as determined by this formula: R + RBI - HR; then fewest plate appearances (PA); then most home runs; and finally most hits.
The team-by-team leaders were determined by the same tiebreakers, though the Cubs and Yankees still have two winners apiece with identical stats in every category.
The top-10 list includes all five batters who’ve hit three homers in a single game this season. It’s also worth nothing that nine of the 10 propelled their teams to victory. The exception was Ryan McMahon, whose Rockies lost 10-8 to the Diamondbacks, despite his 14 bases.
But nobody mentioned here should get a big head, not even Winker. This year’s top performances fall far short of the Expansion Era record of 19 bases in a single game, set by Shawn Green of the Dodgers on May 23, 2002.
Green doubled in the first inning at Miller Park in Milwaukee, homered in the second, launched another homer in the fourth, yet another in the fifth, singled in the eighth, and homered for a fourth time in the ninth.
Green had arrived in Milwaukee in the midst of a slump. “The ball had been looking like a ping-pong ball,” he told reporters. “Today, it probably looked like a softball.”
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1. Jesse Winker
Setting: Reds vs. Brewers on May 21
Output: 14 bases and 0 outs
Other stats: 4 SC, 5 PA, 3 HR, 4 H
Notes: Winker wasted little time at the plate, facing just 16 pitches in five appearances. His single and one of his homers came on the first pitches of those respective at-bats. He blasted another homer off the second pitch.
2. Ryan McMahon
Setting: Rockies vs. Diamondbacks on April 6
Output: 14 bases and 2 outs
Other stats: 4 SC, 6 PA, 3 HR, 4 H
Notes: McMahon hit solo home runs his first three times up, then lined out and grounded out as the game meandered into extra innings. The Rockies entered the bottom of the 13th on the tailend of a 10-7 score. McMahon doubled in a run, but it wasn’t enough.
3. J.D. Martinez
Setting: Red Sox vs. Orioles on April 11
Output: 13 bases and 2 outs
Other stats: 5 SC, 6 PA, 3 HR, 4 H
Notes: Martinez has been hot all season, but he reached maximum intensity on this Sunday afternoon. He started with a first-inning strikeout, then his next four at-bats brought three homers and a single. He bookended this outburst with another strikeout in the ninth.
4. Miguel Sano
Setting: Twins vs. White Sox on May 18
Output: 12 bases and 1 out
Other stats: 4 SC, 4 PA, 3 HR, 3 H
Notes: Sano accounted for all but one of the Twins’ runs in a 5-4 victory. He popped up to short in his first at-bat, then unleashed the long ball. He blasted solo homers in the fourth and sixth innings, then cleared the fence again in the eighth with a man on.
5. Brandon Lowe
Setting: Rays vs. Blue Jays on May 21
Output: 12 bases and 1 out
Other stats: 4 SC, 6 PA, 2 HR, 2 H
Notes: Lowe walked in the first inning, hit a two-run homer in the third, a solo homer in the fifth, and that seemed to be it. But the game advanced to extra innings, allowing Lowe to tack on a pair of intentional walks and a stolen base.
6. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
Setting: Blue Jays vs. Nationals on April 27
Output: 12 bases and 2 outs
Other stats: 7 SC, 4 PA, 3 HR, 3 H
Notes: The Jays trailed 3-0 when Guerrero came to bat in the third inning. He erased the deficit with a grand slam over the left-center-field fence. A solo homer followed in the fifth, then a two-run shot in the seventh. His only outs came on a double play.
7. Kyle Seager
Setting: Mariners vs. Twins on April 11
Output: 11 bases and 0 outs
Other stats: 4 SC, 5 PA, 2 HR, 4 H
Notes: Seager saved the best for last. He had already enjoyed a productive day when he stepped into the box in the ninth — a walk, two singles, and a home run. But the Mariners still trailed, 6-5. His three-run homer tipped the balance, locking up an 8-6 victory.
8. Jared Walsh
Setting: Angels vs. Mariners on May 1
Output: 11 bases and 0 outs
Other stats: 3 SC, 5 PA, 2 HR, 4 H
Notes: It may come as a surprise that Walsh, not Mike Trout, is the Angels’ entry on this list. Both men homered in the first inning against Seattle, then Walsh duplicated the feat in the second after Trout walked. Walsh capped his day with a pair of singles and a walk.
9. Byron Buxton
Setting: Twins vs. Indians on April 28
Output: 11 bases and 0 outs
Other stats: 2 SC, 5 PA, 1 HR, 5 H
Notes: The Twins jumped on the Indians for seven runs in the first three innings, and Buxton was a major contributor. He led off the game with a homer, then followed with a double in the second. He later tacked on another double, two singles, and a stolen base.
10. Adam Duvall
Setting: Marlins vs. Braves on April 13
Output: 11 bases and 1 out
Other stats: 9 SC, 5 PA, 2 HR, 4 H
Notes: The Marlins pounded the Braves, 14-8, with Duvall responsible for nine runs. His only shortcoming was a first-inning strikeout. Then came a solo homer, two-run double, run-scoring single, and a three-run homer. (He later scored himself after the double and single.)
Team-by-team leaders
Angels: Jared Walsh vs. Mariners on May 1, with 11 bases and 0 outs
Astros: Yordan Alvarez vs. Yankees on May 6, with 9 bases and 1 out
Athletics: Ramon Laureano vs. Astros on May 18, with 10 bases and 2 outs
Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. Nationals on April 27, with 12 bases and 2 outs
Braves: Austin Riley vs. Pirates on May 21, with 11 bases and 2 outs
Brewers: Manny Pina vs. Cardinals on April 11, with 8 bases and 1 out
Cardinals: Paul DeJong vs. Reds on April 3, with 10 bases and 1 out
Cubs: Kris Bryant vs. Reds on May 2 and Joc Pederson vs. Pirates on May 25, both with 10 bases and 2 outs
Diamondbacks: David Peralta vs. Reds on April 22, with 10 bases and 2 outs
Dodgers: AJ Pollock vs. Brewers on May 2, with 10 bases and 3 outs
Giants: Darin Ruf vs. Reds on May 20, with 10 bases and 1 out
Indians: Jose Ramirez vs. White Sox on May 2, with 9 bases and 0 outs
Mariners: Kyle Seager vs. Twins on April 11, with 11 bases and 0 outs
Marlins: Adam Duvall vs. Braves on April 13, with 11 bases and 1 out
Mets: Brandon Nimmo vs. Nationals on April 23, with 7 bases and 2 outs
Nationals: Kyle Schwarber vs. Diamondbacks on May 14, with 9 bases and 1 out
Orioles: Trey Mancini vs. Rays on May 19, with 11 bases and 1 out
Padres: Fernando Tatis Jr. vs. Mariners on May 23, with 10 bases and 0 outs
Phillies: Nick Maton vs. Blue Jays on May 16, with 10 bases and 1 out
Pirates: Michael Perez vs. Twins on April 24, with 8 bases and 0 outs
Rangers: Nate Lowe vs. Blue Jays on April 6, with 9 bases and 1 out
Rays: Brandon Lowe vs. Blue Jays on May 21, with 12 bases and 1 out
Red Sox: J.D. Martinez vs. Orioles on April 11, with 13 bases and 2 outs
Reds: Jesse Winker vs. Brewers on May 21, with 14 bases and 0 outs
Rockies: Ryan McMahon vs. Diamondbacks on April 6, with 14 bases and 2 outs
Royals: Andrew Benintendi vs. Twins on May 1, with 9 bases and 1 out
Tigers: Robbie Grossman vs. Twins on May 8, with 9 bases and 0 outs
Twins: Miguel Sano vs. White Sox on May 18, with 12 bases and 1 out
White Sox: Jose Abreu vs. Indians on April 20, with 9 bases and 1 out
Yankees: Aaron Judge vs. Blue Jays on April 14 and DJ LeMahieu vs. Nationals on May 7, both with 9 bases and 1 out