Wins < home runs?

Not so long ago, I listened to a podcast show. In the show, a guest asked an interesting question. He demonstrated that a team has been playing so bad this season and it’s hard to see the team secure a win during the regular season. So, the guest mentioned a player who crushed a lot of home runs this season. That guest was wondering if that player will finish the 2024 season with more home runs than that team’s number of wins.

 

That’s a very interesting question. After listening to the show, I was just thinking whether this situation really happened previously.

 

To make it easier, let’s start with the 2001 season. Back then, Barry Bonds blasted 73 home runs, which is now still the record of most home runs in a single season. So, were there many teams that didn’t reach 73 wins? Well, the Brewers and the Expos each won 68 games in 2001. In the meantime, the Tigers and the Reds each took 66 wins. The Royals won 65 games and the Orioles got 63 wins. At the same time, the Devil Rays and the Pirates each got only 62 wins. Hence, there were 8 teams that had fewer than 73 wins in 2001.

 

Now, let’s go back to 1998. Most baseball fans must remember the 1998 home run record chase. Mark McGwire finished the season with 70 home runs and Sammy Sosa smashed 66 home runs. They both broke Roger Maris’ home run record. In 1998, the Pirates only won 69 games and the number of wins was lower than McGwire’s number of home runs. Meanwhile, the Expos, the Tigers and the Diamondbacks each won 65 games in 1998. The Devil Rays got only 63 wins and the Florida Marlins had a horrible season with only 54 wins. Therefore, there were 5 teams that didn’t reach 66 wins and there were 6 teams that failed to win 70 games.

 

Finally, let’s not go too far. Aaron Judge broke Roger Maris’ AL home run record in 2022. Back in 2022, Judge crushed 62 home runs. It was an unforgettable season for Judge. However, for some teams, it was a nightmare. The Washington Nationals just won 55 games in 2022. Additionally, the Oakland Athletics only got 60 wins. Those 2 teams didn’t reach 62 wins.

 

Well, it did happen before. For a team, it doesn’t look good if the number of wins in a single season is lower than a player’s number of home runs in a single season. That surely means that the team was doing something horrible. So far this season, Aaron Judge leads the majors with 51 home runs. At this moment, the Chicago White Sox only have 31 wins. It must be a tough season for the White Sox fans. However, it’s highly possible to see that the White Sox will finish a season that their number of wins couldn’t reach a player’s number of home runs. Oh, by the way, Shohei Ohtani already blasted 44 home runs and 8 other players each have at least 31 home runs.