How home runs change Major League Baseball

Baseball analytics have taken over the game at the professional level ever since the Oakland Athletics rattled off 20 wins in a row in 2002 under manager Billie Bean. Bean, made famous for his character played by Brad Pitt in the movie “Moneyball,” prioritized non-glamour stats like walks.

But no metrics or advanced statistics are needed to reveal how much the increase in the amounts of home runs made is affecting the game at the professional level in 2017, with the trend starting in 2015. Similar to the Athletics of 2002, the Cleveland Indians this year strung together 22 consecutive victories, but how they won those games differed greatly.

Both streaks began in mid- to late August and…