Photo: Redleg Nation Staff
Sal Stewart has had himself one heck of a rookie season so far. With two-and-a-half weeks left in the season he could still add to his impressive numbers this year, but as I am typing this on Wednesday afternoon the Cincinnati Reds rookie infielder has hit .264/.335/.477 with 25 doubles, 31 home runs, a league leading 107 RBI, and he’s stolen 15 bases in 19 attempts. His performance has earned him two different National League Rookie of the Month awards so far. It also earned him a spot on the National League’s All-Star team. He’s set records for his RBI totals at various end points of the season, and he’s also the Reds all-time record holder for RBI in a season by a rookie.
This week he saw his name on another record-setting line in the books. He is a part of a trio of rookies in Major League Baseball this season to hit 30 home runs in the same season. That has never happened before in the history of baseball.
Stewart currently leads MLB’s rookies with 31 home runs, but right behind him is a pair of Japanese superstars who are in their rookie year in MLB. Munetaka Murakami has 30 home runs with the Chicago White Sox. He joined Stewart in the 30-homer club on September 5th. Last night in Sacramento, Kazuma Okamoto homered for the second game in a row and joined those two guys with 30 home runs.
In the long history of Major League Baseball there have only been 35 rookies to ever hit 30 home runs in a single year. Eight times it’s been accomplished in the same year twice.
1964: Tony Oliva (32) and Jim Ray Hart (31)1971: Earl Williams (33) and Willie Montanez (30)1986: Jose Canseco (33) and Pete Incaviglia (30)1987: Mark McGwire (49) and Matt Nokes (32)1993: Mike Piazza (35) and Tim Salmon (31)2007: Ryan Braun (34) and Chris Young (32)2017: Aaron Judge (52) and Cody Bellinger (39)2021: Ryan Mountcastle (33) and Adolis Garcia (31)
That 8-way tie for the record is now an 8-way tie for a silver medal. While it’s not impossible, it’s very unlikely that a fourth rookie will join this group. Carter Jensen is the next rookie on the list and the Royals catcher has 22 home runs and just 16 games left on Kansas City’s schedule. No other rookie has 20 home runs this season.
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