Raul Ibanez is on a record pace for home runs by a player his age (41). He has 20 and needs nine more to tie Ted Williams’ MLB mark of 29 set in 1960.
Raul Ibanez hit his 20th home run Tuesday night in Arlington, becoming the fifth player 41 years old or older to accomplish the feat. / Drew McKenzie, Sportspress Northwest
Although overshadowed Tuesday night by the two home runs and career-high tying six RBIs by Kendrys Morales, Raul Ibanez belted his 20th long ball in Seattle’s 9-2 romp over the Texas Rangers. Ibanez has homered in six of his past eight games and since May 10 has hit 18 home runs, third-most in the major leagues over that span. This is a remarkable burst of pop made more astonishing by Ibanez’s age: 41.
Ibanez is nine home runs away from tying Ted Williams’ major league record for most by a player 41 years old or older, 29 in 1960. His Tuesday night shot, in the first inning off Justin Grimm, also made him the fifth player 41 or older to reach the 20-homer mark, as the chart shows, and the first to hit 20 prior to the All-Star break:
Year | Player | Team | Age | Pre-ASB | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1960 | Ted Williams | Boston | 41 | 14 | 29 |
2007 | Barry Bonds | San Francisco | 42 | 17 | 28 |
2006 | Barry Bonds | San Franicsco | 41 | 12 | 26 |
1988 | Darrell Evans | Detroit | 41 | 13 | 22 |
1993 | Dave Winfield | Minnesota | 41 | 13 | 21 |
2013 | Raul Ibanez | Seattle | 41 | 20 | 20 |
1962 | Stan Musial | St. Louis | 41 | 12 | 19 |
1991 | Carlton Fisk | Chicago White Sox | 43 | 7 | 18 |
1990 | Carlton Fisk | Chicago White Sox | 42 | 7 | 18 |
1982 | Carl Yastrzemski | Boston | 42 | 11 | 16 |
1986 | Graig Nettles | San Diego | 41 | 12 | 16 |
Perhaps more impressive is that Ibanez reached the 20-homer mark while playing in 62 of the Mariners’ 83 games. If he maintained his current pace and played in all of Seattle’s remaining games, Ibanez would finish with 45.
That’s a longshot at Ibanez’s age, but he certainly figures to give Williams a run for the record. A few other key points about Ibanez:
Ibanez and the Mariners continue their three-game series in Texas Friday at 5:05 p.m. Felix Hernandez (8-4, 2.70) is opposite LHP Derek Holland (6-4, 3.14). Hernandez has already lost to Texas twice this year and is 12-18 with a 3.87 ERA in 36 career starts.
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