PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION’S HOME RUN CHALLENGE UPDATE
– As of End of Day, June 15th, 2026
Top Headlines
- 361 Total Home Runs (28 total on 6/15 /2026)
- The biggest pitching story of the day was STL SP Dustin May throwing a complete game one-hitter against the San Diego Padres, retiring 27 of 28 batters, striking out nine, and walking just one in a 3–0 shutout that was as dominant a performance as you’ll see all season. The Cincinnati Reds had the biggest offensive night, hammering the New York Mets 12–0 behind three home runs, CIN DH Eugenio Suárez going absolutely berserk with two home runs and six RBI while CIN LF JJ Bleday added a home run and four RBI of his own and CIN SP Chase Burns was brilliant for five scoreless innings. Detroit’s DET 3B Colt Keith had arguably the individual performance of the day, going deep three times and driving in six runs in a 9–3 Tigers win over the Houston Astros, with ATH 1B Nick Kurtz answering out in Las Vegas by going deep twice and driving in five runs in an 11–2 Athletics rout of the Pirates. The Phillies shut out the Marlins 7–0 behind PHI SP Zack Wheeler’s nine-strikeout gem while PHI RF Gabriel Rincones Jr. and PHI C J.T. Realmuto each went deep, and the Washington Nationals handled the Royals 7–3 with WSH RF Dylan Crews launching a three-run home run as the decisive blow. The Dodgers edged the Rays 4–3 behind a two-run home run from LAD RF Kyle Tucker in a tight one at Dodger Stadium, the Cubs took a 5–4 thriller over the Rockies on the strength of CHC CF Pete Crow-Armstrong going deep and driving in two runs, the Twins won 4–2 in Texas behind MIN DH Josh Bell’s three-run home run and a dominant outing from their bullpen, and the Diamondbacks nipped the Angels 4–3 in Arizona with AZ DH Pavin Smith going deep and LAA CF Mike Trout and LAA 3B Donovan Walton each homering in a losing effort.
- Tucker Delivers, Dodgers Hold Off a Scrappy Rays Squad in a 4-3 Nail-Biter
- The Los Angeles Dodgers held off the Tampa Bay Rays 4–3 at Dodger Stadium in a game that was tight from start to finish and came down to whether the Dodgers’ bullpen could hold a one-run lead through the final two innings. LAD RF Kyle Tucker was the offensive star of the afternoon, going deep for a three-run home run in the second inning that gave Los Angeles all the runs it would ultimately need, finishing with three RBI in what was the decisive swing of the game. LAD SS Miguel Rojas added a solo shot of his own to account for the Dodgers’ second home run and fourth run of the day. TB RF Ryan Vilade answered with a home run and two RBI for Tampa Bay, keeping the Rays within one run for most of the game, and the Dodgers’ bullpen was tested throughout the late innings before LAD RP Tanner Scott locked it down with a clean ninth for the save. LAD SP Eric Lauer earned the no-decision after six solid innings allowing three runs, LAD RP Kyle Hurt earned the win with a dominant seventh, and TB SP Steven Matz took the loss after surrendering three runs and a home run in just two innings before TB SP Nick Martinez came on and held the Dodgers in check the rest of the way in a game that felt like it could have gone either way until the final out.
- Los Angeles is now 47-27 and sits at 1st in the NL West.
- Tampa Bay is now 41-28 and sits at 2nd in the AL East.
- Crews Crushes a Three-Run Shot as Washington Handles Kansas City Comfortably
- The Washington Nationals took the series opener over the Kansas City Royals 7–3 at Nationals Park, with WSH RF Dylan Crews providing the biggest blow of the afternoon, a three-run home run in the fifth that blew a tight 2–1 game wide open and gave Washington a lead it never relinquished. WSH 1B Luis García Jr. drove in two more through contact and WSH 2B Nasim Nuñez went 2-for-3 with two runs scored to round out a balanced Nationals attack that wore Kansas City’s pitching staff down over nine innings. KC 3B Maikel Garcia drove in two runs through contact to keep things close early, but WSH SP Andrew Alvarez was sharp for four innings and WSH RP Brad Lord earned the win with three innings of two-run relief while KC RP Mitch Spence absorbed a brutal loss after allowing six runs on seven hits in four innings without retiring a batter in the fifth.
- Washington is now 37-35 and sits at 3rd in the NL East.
- Kansas City is now 28-44 and sits at 5th in the AL Central.
- Kurtz Goes Deep Twice, McNeil Adds a Blast as Oakland Buries Pittsburgh
- The Athletics bounced back from Saturday’s stunning 23–9 loss to Colorado in emphatic fashion, dismantling the Pittsburgh Pirates 11–2 at Sutter Health Park behind a five-home-run barrage that left no doubt from the third inning on. ATH 1B Nick Kurtz was the headliner in every sense, going deep twice and driving in five runs across five at-bats in one of his best performances of the season, while ATH 2B Jeff McNeil added a home run and four RBI of his own in a breakout performance that gave Oakland two players with multi-RBI home run nights. ATH SP J.T. Ginn earned the win with six dominant scoreless innings on just six hits, while PIT SP Jared Jones absorbed the loss after surrendering two home runs and five runs in just four innings. PIT C Endy Rodriguez provided Pittsburgh’s lone home run, a solo shot in the eighth that was far too little and far too late in what was a thoroughly onesided evening.
- Athletics are now 36-36 and sit at 2nd in the AL West.
- Pittsburgh is now 34-36 and sits at 3rd in the NL Central.
- Colt Keith Goes Nuclear: Three Home Runs, Six RBI as Detroit Dismantles Houston
- If you missed DET 3B Colt Keith on Monday night, you missed one of the best individual offensive performances of the 2026 season. Keith went deep three times and drove in six runs in a 9–3 Detroit Tigers rout of the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, going 3-for-5 with three home runs that came off three different Astros pitchers across four trips to the plate in what was an absolutely jaw-dropping display of power hitting. DET 1B Spencer Torkelson and DET SS Kevin McGonigle each added home runs of their own to give Detroit five on the day, while HOU 2B Jose Altuve and HOU 3B Isaac Paredes each went deep for Houston in a losing cause. HOU RP Kai-Wei Teng absorbed the worst of the damage, surrendering three of Detroit’s five home runs in 3.1 innings and taking the loss, while DET RP Kyle Finnegan earned the win with a clean ninth as the Tigers rode a five-homer performance to a wire-to-wire victory.
- Detroit is now 31-39 and sits at 4th in the AL Central.
- Houston is now 33-41 and sits at 4th in the AL West.
- Wheeler Dazzles, Rincones and Realmuto Go Deep in a Dominant Philadelphia Shutout
- The Philadelphia Phillies opened their series against the Miami Marlins with a statement 7–0 shutout at Citizens Bank Park, with PHI SP Zack Wheeler delivering one of the most dominant starts of his season and the home run ball doing most of the offensive heavy lifting. Wheeler went six innings on just two hits, struck out nine batters without allowing a run, and was so untouchable that the game felt effectively over by the third inning when the Phillies had already jumped out to a three-run lead. PHI RF Gabriel Rincones Jr. went deep for two RBI in what was a breakout moment for the young outfielder, while PHI C J.T. Realmuto added a home run and two RBI of his own to give Philadelphia two home runs on the day and plenty of cushion for Wheeler to work with. PHI 1B Bryce Harper chipped in an RBI through contact and PHI CF Justin Crawford went 3-for-4 with an RBI as the Phillies pounded out ten hits across nine innings, while MIA SP Ryan Gusto absorbed the loss after a rough 4.2 innings allowing five runs and two home runs as Miami’s bats went completely silent on the evening.
- Philadelphia is now 38-32 and sits at 2nd in the NL East.
- Miami is now 22-50 and sits at 5th in the NL East.
Important Stats:
| Top Teams in Home Runs during HRC | # of HRs during HRC | Bottom Five Teams in Home Runs During HRC | # of HRs during HRC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. ATH | 26 | 1. KC | 5 |
| 2. DET | 20 | 2. CLE/MIA | 6 |
| 3. MIN/MIL | 19 | 3. ATL/TB | 7 |
| 4. STL | 18 | 4. LAA/TOR/ARI/SD | 10 |
| Top Players in Home Runs during HRC | # of HRs |
|---|---|
| 1. ATH 1B Nick Kurtz | 7 |
| 2. STL 1B Alec Burleson | 6 |
| 3. SF 3B Matt Chapman, MIL LF Jackson Chourio, MIN CF Byron Buxton, COL RF Hunter Goodman | 5 |
| 4. BOS C Willson Contreras, BAL 1B Pete Alonso, LAD DH Shohei Ohtani, WSH 1B Luis García Jr.BOS C Willson Contreras, BAL 1B Pete Alonso, LAD DH Shohei Ohtani, WSH 1B Luis García Jr., DET 1B Spencer Torkelson, ATH LF Tyler Soderstrom, CHC CF Pete CrowArmstrong, DET 3B Colt Keith, WSH RF James Wood | 4 |
| All-Time Leader HRs | Player | HRs | Career Span | # of Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Barry Bonds | 762 | 22 years | 2,986 | |
| 2. Hank Aaron | 755 | 23 years | 3,298 | |
| 3. Babe Ruth | 714 | 22 years | 2,503 | |
| 4. Albert Pujols | 703 | 22 years | 3,080 | |
| 5. Alex Rodriguez | 696 | 22 years | 2,784 | |
| 6. Willie Mays | 660 | 22 years | 2,992 | |
| 7. Ken Griffey Jr. | 630 | 22 years | 2,543 | |
| 8. Jim Thome | 612 | 22 years | 2,543 | |
| 9. Sammy Sosa | 609 | 18 years | 2,354 | |
| 10. Frank Robinson | 586 | 21 years | 2,808 | |
| 11. Mark McGwire | 583 | 16 years | 1,874 | |
| 12. Harmon Killebrew | 573 | 22 years | 2,435 | |
| 13. Rafael Palmiero | 569 | 18 years | 2,831 | |
| 14. Reggie Jackson | 563 | 21 years | 2,820 | |
| 15. Manny Ramirez | 555 | 19 years | 2,302 | |
| 16. Mike Schmidt | 548 | 18 years | 2,404 | |
| 17. David Ortiz | 541 | 20 years | 2,408 | |
| 18. Mickey Mantle | 536 | 18 years | 2,401 | |
| 19. Jimmie Foxx | 534 | 20 years | 2,317 | |
| 20. Willie McCovey | 521 | 22 years | 2,588 | |
| 20. Frank Thomas | 521 | 19 years | 2,322 | |
| 20. Ted Williams | 521 | 22 years | 2,292 |
| All-Time Leader HRs (Active) | Player | HRs | Career Span | # of Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Giancarlo Stanton | 456 | 17 | 1,750 | |
| 2. Mike Trout | 418 | 16 | 1,711 | |
| 3. Aaron Judge | 385 | 11 | 1,204 | |
| 4. Manny Machado | 380 | 14 | 1,954 | |
| 5. Paul Goldschmidt | 379 | 16 | 2,112 | |
| 6. Freddie Freeman | 377 | 17 | 2,240 | |
| 7. Bryce Harper | 377 | 15 | 1,848 | |
| 8. Kyle Schwarber | 363 | 12 | 1,351 | |
| 9. Nolan Arenado | 361 | 14 | 1,845 | |
| 10. Carlos Santana | 335 | 17 | 2,212 |
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 poor 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.
