The New York Yankees are peaking at just the right time. An 8-4 victory on Friday night over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 159 saw them draw level with the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of the American League East with a 91-68 record, and put together their ninth win in their last ten games.
It is true that the opponents in that ten-game stretch (the Orioles, twice, forming the bread in a Chicago White Sox sandwich) have not been baseball’s best. But you can only play who you face. And the Yankees have asserted their dominance over these lesser opponents early – to a historic degree, in fact.
When Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run first-inning homer off of Orioles starter Trevor Rogers, he gave the club its 48th such first-inning blast of the season, setting a new Major League record. The homer – Stantonâs 450th of his career, and his first of two on the night, taking him up to 23 on the season in only 75 games played – pushed the Yankees past the previous mark of 47 first-inning homers, established by the 2023 Atlanta Braves.
Record-Setting Starts
In keeping with baseball’s historically-high home run rates in modernity, the first-inning homer record is dominated by teams of the last few seasons. According to MLB historian Sarah Langs – @Slangsonsports on X –Â the top six marks ever in that category have all been posted in the last seven seasons.
Nonetheless, the Yankees are now solo owners of the record, one that reflects a season-long trend of early power. Of the teamâs 267 total home runs to date, nearly 18 percent of their long-ball output has come in the first frame. No other team in Major League history has concentrated such a large portion of its home runs in the first inning.
Aaron Judge has been central to the effort, because of course he has. The face of the franchise and guaranteed top two MVP award finisher has launched 12 first-inning home runs this season, while Stantonâs 10 first-inning shots, including Friday’s record-breaker, ranks just behind him.
Yankees Forever Known For Power
Historically, the Yankees have always been a power-driven franchise. Bronx Bombers, and all that. But even by their standards, this record stands out. The Yankee’s previous franchise record for first-inning home runs was 40, set in 2018, a season that featured Judge, Stanton, and a young Gleyber Torres (now with the Detroit Tigers) all producing at high levels.
The distribution of the 48 home runs also reflects the influence of Yankee Stadium. Thirty-six of the blasts have come at home, aided by the favorable right-field porch and summer-time hitting conditions. It is a feature, not a bug.
From a mindset point of view, the Yankeesâ early power appears to have had measurable benefits. In games where they have homered in the first inning, they hold a winning percentage above .650 versus their overall winning percentage that hovers around .590. Scoring first sets the tone and immediately applies pressure, and the Yankees have been the best at it of anyone, particularly via the long ball.
Stantonâs milestone 450th career homers extends his home run among active players, and he did so in a way that gave the Yankees a new Major League standard as well. For a franchise that has long prided itself on power hitting, the first inning of this season has been a defining feature for the Yankees, who are putting together their best baseball at the most important time. And perhaps best of all, so is Stanton.
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