In a sport with 2,430 games on the schedule every season, the commonplace has a tough battle to be retained in our memories. We remember strongly the greatest pitching performances we've ever seen, the most dominant hitters, the most undefeatable teams. There aren't as many sepia-toned memories for the most average pitcher from your childhood (for me, Mike Boddicker) or an 81-81 team.
That's also true on the downside. There's a Mendoza Line at .200, but nobody really cares who epitomizes a .240 hitter. The 1962 Mets are legendary for losing 120 games, the most in modern baseball, but nobody remembers the beloved bums on teams that merely lose 110 games.
Every season has potential for individual feats of historical excellence or incompetence. At the quarter mark, we have a better idea who has a chance to end up with a new, little footnote in history, as opposed to the usual observation that a player who hits two homers on Opening Day is on pace for a 324-homer season.
Toppling the single-season record for home runs
Major League Baseball set a record for the most home runs hit in a year in 2017, hitting 6,105 round-trippers, bettering the 2000 season by more than 400. But the individual team record of 264 homers in a season stuck, still held by the 1997 Mariners with Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner and Edgar Martinez. Even Joey Cora hit 11 home runs (never more than six in another season).
