Historic Chases · 2026-04-20 RECONSTRUCTED

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Nightly briefing

Baseball last night

Games of 2026-04-20

No history was made last night, but the box scores still talked: Isaac Paredes hit his first home run of the season — in his game No. 19 ▶︎ watch; Jac Caglianone hit his first home run of the season — in his game No. 20 ▶︎ watch.

Taylor Ward has 12 doubles — projecting to 85, +2 vs Earl Webb's 67 pace. That pace would be the most doubles in any season since 1901. Needs 38 more to reach 50.

Andy Pages sits at .370 — the last .400 season was Ted Williams in 1941.

History movers: Sal Stewart, after homering — Franchise Home Runs: 8 now, pace 56.3, record 52 (George Foster) · Andy Pages — Franchise RBI: 21 now, pace 154.6, record 153 (Tommy Davis); Batting Average: record 0.406 (Ted Williams).

The .400 chase: Andy Pages went 1-for-5 last night and saw his average slip 12 points to .370. The gap to .400 is now .030.

The so-what: through 24 team games, Yordan Alvarez sits 1 HR behind Bonds' 73-homer pace (11 at this point). That's the number that decides whether this season becomes a chase or a footnote.

That morning's stakes

What we were watching

MUST TRACK: Oneil Cruz is on a 40/40 pace — 6 HR / 9 SB, projecting to 44/66. Only five players have ever done it: Canseco, Bonds, A-Rod, Soriano, and Ohtani. Every game matters from here.

The .400 burndown: Andy Pages carries a .370 average into today; a .400 finish takes a .406 clip the rest of the way (209-for-515). That is .002 harder than yesterday. A 3-for-4 tonight lowers the requirement to .403; an 0-for-4 raises it to .409.

Streak ladder: the Mets have lost 11 straight — 10 shy of the 2024 White Sox (AL record) (21); 12 shy of the 1961 Phillies (modern record) (23).

On this date in 1937, Gee Walker hit for the cycle.

30/30 watch: Oneil Cruz sits at 6 HR / 9 SB — 24 homers short and 21 steals short of a 30/30 season, projecting to 44/66.

Historical intelligence

How the night stacked up

Pace through history

Yordan Alvarez versus the great home-run seasons

Yordan Alvarez has 10 home runs through 24 team games, 1 behind Barry Bonds's 2001 pace at the same checkpoint (11). Comparable chases finished with a median of 34; 5.2% reached 50 and 1.2% reached 60 (n=422).

Retrosheet · verified play-by-play

If the pace holds

A projected top-1 season

If Matt Olson finishes at the current projection of 70, it would be the most doubles in any season since 1901 — no season on record has finished higher.

SABR Lahman Baseball Database · through 2021

Franchise pressure

A franchise record is under pressure

The single-season record is 47 home runs, set by Troy Glaus in 2000. Mike Trout projects to 47 and projects to tie it.

SABR Lahman Baseball Database · through 2021

Only X seasons ever

Yordan Alvarez is building a rare combination

At his current pace, Yordan Alvarez would reach at least .320 AVG, 60 HR, and 125 RBI. Only 3 completed seasons in the configured historical cohort reached every mark. The recent company includes Barry Bonds (2001), Sammy Sosa (2001), Babe Ruth (1927).

SABR Lahman Baseball Database · through 2021

Closest to .400