A few years ago, the phrase “Too Many Homers” became a popular way to turn one’s nose up at a brand of winning baseball. Now, it’s become an even more common refrain. On Tuesday night, the Royals' Alex Gordon hit the 5,694th home run of the 2017 season, breaking a record that had stood since 2000. While the long ball has been one of the biggest stories in the game this year, it’s fair to say that neither chicks nor dudes dig it as much as they did a couple decades ago.
Sure, it’s still a thrill when a player mashes a dramatic homer at a key moment, but in some ways, baseball’s biggest bang has become banal.