As of End of Day – Sunday June 15, 2025
Top Headlines
- Reds
- The Detroit Tigers appeared poised for a solid win Sunday at Comerica Park, taking a 4–2 lead into the eighth behind solo homers from DET OF Jahmai Jones and OF Wenceel Pérez and solid offensive support from 2B Gleyber Torres and OF Riley Greene; But things unraveled quickly. The Cincinnati Reds capitalized on a pair of defensive miscues and a wild pitch to rally for four unearned runs in the eighth inning, flipping the game on its head. CIN SS Elly De La Cruz delivered an RBI single, 2B Gavin Lux added the go-ahead knock, and Will Benson drove in another on a sac fly. CIN SS De La Cruz wasn’t done—he crushed a two-run homer in the ninth, marking his fourth straight game with a home run, and finished with three hits and three RBIs. That late surge sealed an 8–4 comeback win for Cincinnati, who took the series as Detroit’s five-error weekend came back to bite them.
- Cincinnati is now 37-35 and sits in 4th place in the NL Central.
- Detroit is now 46-27 and sits in 1st place in the AL Central, as well as th eMLB
- Phillies pile it on Blue Jays
- The Philadelphia Phillies steamrolled the Toronto Blue Jays 11–4 on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park, completing a three-game sweep. PHI SP Zack Wheeler was dominant, spinning six innings with nine punchouts and just one earned run allowed, while mixing in a pair of immaculate innings in the second and third. Offensively, Philadelphia exploded with 18 hits, including a grand slam by Nick Castellanos in the sixth—his second of the season and ninth of his career—that blew the game wide open. Alec Bohm chipped in with a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs, while rookie PHI 3B Otto Kemp went 4‑for‑5, scored three runs and drove in two more. DH Kyle Schwarber reached base four times, contributing two RBI as Philadelphia flexed its depth. On Toronto’s side, UTIL Ernie Clement led the way with three hits, but SP José Berríos struggled—yielding six runs on nine hits in just 4⅔ innings—and the Jays couldn’t match Philly’s offensive onslaught. The loss dropped the Blue Jays to 38–33, while the Phillies sit at 42–29. SP spectacular Wheeler’s win improved his record to 7‑2, and an early NL CY Young contender, while TOR SP Berríos took the loss, falling to 2‑3. Toronto now turns its focus to a homestand starting Tuesday against Arizona, and Philadelphia heads to Miami to kick off a four-game set — fresh off their sweep
- Philadelphia is now 42-29 and sits in 1st place in the NL Central.
- Toronto is now 38-33 and sits in 3rd place in the AL East.
- Dodgers Host HRC Crew; Beat Giants
- The Los Angeles Dodgers edged out the San Francisco Giants 5–4 in a tight NL West showdown at Dodger Stadium. The game turned dramatically in the fifth: trailing 3–2, the Dodgers erupted when Andy Pages launched a three-run homer off reliever Ryan Walker, jolting L.A. into a 5–3 lead. Earlier, Toronto and San Francisco had traded blows. SF OF Jung Hoo Lee tripled in two runs in the top of the fourth, giving the Giants a 3–2 lead. But L.A. responded swiftly—DH Shohei Ohtani and SS Mookie Betts singled ahead of OF Pages’ big swing. Dodgers SP starter Dustin May held firm through six innings, surrendering just three runs while walking four and striking out three. SF SP Sean Hjelle, making an unexpected debut after the Giants traded Kyle Harrison earlier in the day, battled through 3⅔ innings, giving up two runs. San Francisco battled back in the eighth when OFDaniel Johnson launched a pinch-hit solo shot, cutting the lead to 5–4, but L.A.’s RP Tanner Scott slammed the door in the ninth with a clean, three-strikeout inning for his 13th save.
- Los Angeles (D) is now 43-29 and sits in 1st place in the NL West.
- San Francisco is now 41-41 and sits in 2nd place in the NL West.
- Brewers Top Cardinals; Extend Division Lead
- The Milwaukee Brewers closed out their four-game set with a hard-fought 3–2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday at American Family Field. MIL SP Quinn Priester was outstanding, firing six innings of one-run ball to pick up his fourth straight victory—no walks, just four hits, and three strikeouts—improving to 5–2 on the season. Milwaukee broke through with a solo shot from MIL OF Christian Yelich in the fourth, his 14th homer of the year, and later added an insurance run in the seventh when MIL OF Sal Frelick grounded out after an OF Drew Avans sac fly gave the Brewers a two-run cushion. But the Cardinals stayed close, as STL C Iván Herrera delivered a clutch solo homer in the eighth—his eighth of the season—to make it 3–2. St. Louis threatened in the ninth with runners on second and third, but Milwaukee CP Trevor Megill locked it down, recording his 15th save by striking out both final batters after a first-pitch walk. This victory gives Milwaukee a 3‑1 edge in the series and keeps them strong in the NL Central. The Cards, meanwhile, continue to struggle—losing seven of their last eight games. MIL OF Christian Yelich has homered 12 times for the Brewers this year — and Milwaukee is 12-0 in those games. Keep it up, Christian!
- Milwaukee is now 39-34 and sits in 2nd place in the NL Central.
- St. Louis is now 37-35 and sits in 3rd place in the NL Central.
- A’s Edge royals
- The Athletics completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a dramatic 3–2 victory at Kauffman Stadium on Father’s Day. The game’s decisive moment came in the bottom of the ninth when OAK rookie 1B Nick Kurtz had his “welcome to the MLB moment” — as he launched a walk-off solo homer—his sixth of the season—sealing the A’s first sweep in Kansas City since September 2016. Kansas City initially took a 2–0 lead in the third inning thanks to RBI doubles by KC SS Bobby Witt Jr. and 1B Vinnie Pasquantino. The Athletics fought back to tie the game, with C Austin Wynns delivering a solo homer in the sixth to knot the score at 2–2. OAK SP Tyler Ferguson won after retiring all four batters he faced and striking out two. OAK RP Mason Miller closed the game with his 14th save, striking out two. Despite a strong start from Royals pitcher Noah Cameron, who struck out seven over five scoreless innings, Kansas City’s offense couldn’t capitalize. The loss extended the Royals’ losing streak to six games, matching a season-high, and capped a winless six-game homestand. Meanwhile, the Athletics dominated the series, getting a much-needed sweep that will hopefully reinvigorate the locker room.
- The Athletics are now 29-44 and sits in 5th place in the AL West.
- Kansas City is 34-38 and sits in 4th place in the AL Central.
Important Stats:
| Top Five Teams in Home Runs during HRC | # of HRs during HRC | Bottom Five Teams in Home Runs During HRC | # of HRs during HRC |
| 1. ARI | 25 | 1. WAS | 6 |
| 2. NYM | 24 | 2. SD | 8 |
| 3. CIN | 21 | 3. CWS | 9 |
| 4. LAD | 19 | 3. PIT | 9 |
| 4. BAL | 19 | 4. HOU, MIA | 10 |
| Top Five Players in Home Runs during HRC | # of HRs |
| 1. Pete Alonso, 1B, NYM | 6 |
| 1. Jo Adell, CF, LAA | 6 |
| 1. Eugenio Suárez, 3B, ARI | 6 |
| 2. Aaron Judge, RF, NYY | 5 |
| 2. Elly De La Cruz, SS, CIN | 5 |
| 3. Ketel Marte, 2B, ARI | 4 |
| 3. Cal Raleigh, C, SEA | 4 |
| 3. Manny Machado, 3B, SD | 4 |
| Position | Player | Team | # of HRs |
| Catcher | Cal Raleigh | SEA | 4 |
| First Base | Pete Alonso | NYM | 6 |
| Second Base | Ketel Marte | ARI | 4 |
| Willi Castro | MIN | 2 |
| Third Base | Eugenio Suárez | ARI | 4 |
| Short Stop | Elly De La Cruz | CIN | 5 |
| Francisco Lindor | NYM | 2 |
| Outfielder | Jo Addell | LAA | 2 |
| Aaron Judge | NYY | 4 |
| Juan Soto | NYM | 4 |
| Ian Happ | CHC | 4 |
| Designated Hitter | Hunter Goodman | COL | 4 |
| All-Time Leader HRs | Player | HRs | Career Span | # of Games |
| 1. | Barry Bonds | 762 | 22 years | 2986 |
| 2. | Hank Aaron | 755 | 23 years | 3298 |
| 3. | Babe Ruth | 714 | 22 years | 2503 |
| 4. | Albert Pujols | 703 | 22 years | 3080 |
| 5. | Alex Rodrigez | 696 | 22 years | 2784 |
| 6. | Willie Mays | 660 | 22 years | 2992 |
| 7. | Ken Griffey Jr | 630 | 22 years | 2543 |
| 8. | Jim Thome | 612 | 22 years | 2543 |
| 9. | Sammy Sosa | 609 | 18 years | 2354 |
| 10. | Frank Robinson | 586 | 21 years | 2808 |
| 11. | Mark McGwire | 583 | 16 years | 1874 |
| 12. | Harmon Killebrew | 573 | 22 years | 2435 |
| 13. | Rafael Palmiero | 569 | 20 years | 2831 |
| 14. | Reggie Jackson | 563 | 21 years | 2820 |
| 15. | Manny Ramirez | 555 | 19 years | 2302 |
| 16. | Mike Schmidt | 548 | 18 years | 2404 |
| 17. | David Ortiz | 541 | 20 years | 2408 |
| 18. | Mickey Mantle | 536 | 18 years | 2401 |
| 19. | Jimmie Foxx | 534 | 20 years | 2317 |
| 20. | Willie McCovey | 521 | 22 years | 2588 |
| 20. | Frank Thomas | 521 | 19 years | 2322 |
| 20. | Ted Williams | 521 | 22 years | 2292 |
| All-Time Leader HRs (Active) | Player | HRs | Career Span | # of Games |
| 1. | Giancarlo Stanton | 415 | 14 | 1584 |
| 2. | Mike Trout | 388 | 13 | 1518 |
| 3. | Joey Votto | 356 | 17 | 2059 |
| 4. | Paul Goldschmidt | 347 | 13 | 1824 |
| 5. | Nolan Arenado | 328 | 11 | 1579 |
| 6. | Freddie Freeman | 326 | 14 | 1940 |
| 7. | Bryce Harper | 319 | 12 | 1558 |
| 8. | Manny Machado | 318 | 12 | 1635 |
| 8. | J.D. Martinez | 318 | 13 | 1549 |
| 10. | Carlos Santana | 308 | 14 | 1979 |
Other Fun Facts:
- The 2019 Atlanta Braves hit more home runs in the month of June – 56 – than any other team in history.
- In 2017, the Cincinnati Reds Scooter Gennett became one of the unlikeliest players to hit four home runs in a single game; Gennett hit his record-tying home runs in an HRC game.
- The Atlanta Braves (2023) and Minnesota Twins (2019) hit 307 home runs each in a single season, more than any team in history.
- Babe Ruth led the American League in home runs 12 times; the first time was in 1918 when he hit 11 home runs (and won 13 games as a pitcher).
- In 2021, Miguel Cabrera became the last MLB player to top 500 home runs; 34-year-old Giancarlo Stanton is the current active leader with 408.
- Mark McGwire hit more home runs per at bat – 10.61 – than any player in history. Aaron Judge (11.9) and Pete Alonso (13.27) have the best ratios among current players.
- Sammy Sosa has 3 of the 6 seasons with the most HRs hit, hitting 66 in 1998, 63 in 1999, and 64 in 2001. However, he never once lead the major leagues in home runs. Despite his prowess as a power hitter, he was surpassed in all 3 seasons, in the 1998-99 seasons by Mark McGwire, and in 2001 by Barry Bonds.
- Weirdly enough, no one has ever hit 55 HRs in a season.
- Hitting a grand slam is incredibly impressive enough. Hitting multiple in the same game is nearly unheard of. Even more absurd, multiple grand slams in the same inning? Only one player has accomplished that feat – and that is Fernando Tatis. On April 23rd, 1999, he hit two grand slams as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers that day. His son, Fernando Tatis Jr, is now a superstar outfielder for the San Diego Padres.
- The first Home Run was hit by the Chicago White Stockings infielder, Ross Barnes, on May 2, 1876. Despite being nearly 150 years ago, the Chicago White Stockings are still an MLB team – but not the White Sox. The White Stockings actually became the Chicago Cubs.
- Andy “Pepper” Oyler, known as a small player, had the shortest home run in baseball history – an [astonishing] 24-inch home run. As the story goes, the weather conditions in Minnesota were a that day, and the hard-hit ball went directly into the mud in front of the plate. By the time they had found the ball, Oyler had cleared the bases, for an inside the park home run.
- What’s perhaps more impressive than hitting any Home Run or Grand Slam?Robbing one! How about Mike Cameron, former All-Star and gold glover, known as being one of the only players to amass 250 home runs and 250 steals in their career. On May 2, 2002, not only did he hit 4 Home Runs in the game, with his 5th hit missing the wall by just feet, making it all the way to the warning track, he also robbed a home run.
