Historic Chases · 2026-07-23

Kyle Schwarber (PHI) has struck out 154 times, projecting to 242. Mark Reynolds' record is 223. That pace would be the most strikeouts in any season since 1901. But he's doing damage too: he is 2nd in MLB in home runs (33) — one every 11.2 at-bats. The strikeouts are the price of the power.

The AL West is a coin flip: Rangers (51-51) lead Mariners by 0.5. The Rays' single-season record is 46 home runs, set by Carlos Pena in 2007. Junior Caminero (TB) projects to 46 and would tie it.

Lines of the night: Jack Anderson earned his first career save ▶︎ watch.

What changed from last season: Jackson Merrill (SD) — stolen bases up from 1 in 115 games in 2025 to 20 in 100 this season; Pete Crow-Armstrong (CHC) — walk rate up from 4.7% to 12.1% (29 in 620 plate appearances in 2025, 52 in 431 this season); Junior Caminero (TB) — walk rate up from 6.4% to 12.8% (41 in 643 plate appearances in 2025, 57 in 444 this season). 3 of 312 rate comparisons across 61 men on this season's leaderboards, corrected for having looked that many times.

Start streaks: Gavin Williams (CLE) has struck out 8 or more in each of his last three starts (11, 11, 11).

The so-what: Yordan Alvarez (HOU) has 34 home runs through 104 team games, a 53-homer pace — 11 behind Bonds's 2001 total at the same point (45 of his eventual 73). That gap is the whole story: it closes, or the chase does.