PROSTATE CANCER FOUNDATION’S HOME RUN CHALLENGE UPDATE
– As of End of Day, June 18th, 2026
Top Headlines
- 460 Total Home Runs (23 total on 6/18 /2026)
- The biggest surprise of the day was Kansas City absolutely lighting up the Cardinals 14–6 at Kauffman Stadium behind four home runs and 17 hits in one of the Royals’ best offensive performances of the entire season. The White Sox stunned the Yankees 5–1 to take the series, CWS DH Andrew Benintendi delivering a grand slam in the eighth that blew the game open and CWS SS Colson Montgomery going deep as well to give Chicago two home runs. The Mets won at Citizens Bank Park 6–4 to take the series from the Phillies, NYM LF Juan Soto going deep twice and driving in two runs in what was his best individual performance of the HRC campaign. Minnesota swept the Rangers series with their third straight win in Texas, 9–3, with MIN LF Trevor Larnach going deep for three RBI and MIN SS Brooks Lee and MIN CF Ryan Kreidler each adding home runs. The Guardians snapped Milwaukee’s two-game winning streak with a 4–2 win at American Family Field, CLE 1B Kyle Manzardo, CLE 2B Travis Bazzana, and CLE RF David Fry each going deep to give Cleveland three home runs while the Brewers couldn’t muster anything offensively against CLE SP Parker Messick, who struck out nine over six innings. Toronto took the series from Boston with a 4–3 win, Baltimore finally beat Seattle 5–3 to take the series finale at T-Mobile Park, and the Athletics blanked the Angels 5–0 to close out the evening on the West Coast.
- Witt, Caglianone, and Perez Go Deep as Kansas City Drops 14 on St. Louis
- The Kansas City Royals put on one of their most complete offensive performances of the season, running away from the St. Louis Cardinals 14–6 at Kauffman Stadium behind four home runs and 17 hits that left the Cardinals’ pitching staff completely shell-shocked. KC SS Bobby Witt Jr. was the catalyst, going deep for two RBI and going 2-for-2 with two runs scored before exiting early, while KC RF Jac Caglianone added a home run and two RBI and KC C Salvador Perez launched a home run and drove in one to give Kansas City three different players going deep. A six-run second inning set the tone immediately, and a four-run fourth piled on before the Cardinals could catch their breath. STL SP Matthew Liberatore absorbed a brutal loss, surrendering five home runs and seven runs in just 1.2 innings before the Cardinals’ bullpen gave up three more home runs across eight innings, making it an ugly day for the entire St. Louis pitching staff. KC SP Noah Cameron earned the win with five innings of three-run ball.
- Kansas City is now 31-45 and sits at 4th in the AL Central.
- St. Louis is now 40-33 and sits at 2nd in the NL Central.
- Benintendi’s Grand Slam Breaks it Open as the White Sox Stun New York
- The Chicago White Sox took the series from the New York Yankees with a 5–1 win at Yankee Stadium, with CWS DH Andrew Benintendi delivering the decisive blow: a grand slam in the eighth inning that turned a 1–1 tie into a 51 final before New York could blink. CWS SS Colson Montgomery added a home run of his own to give Chicago two on the day, and CWS SP Sean Burke was absolutely brilliant, going 7.1 innings on just one earned run while striking out eight in one of the best individual pitching performances of the series. NYY 3B Ryan McMahon provided New York’s lone home run, a solo shot in the third that briefly gave the Yankees a 1–0 lead before Chicago took control, and the Yankees’ offense, which had been torching White Sox pitching all series, went completely quiet against Burke before the bullpen imploded in the eighth. NYY RP Fernando Cruz took the loss after allowing a run without finishing the inning.
- Chicago (W) is now 39-34 and sits at 1st in the AL Central.
- New York (Y) is now 45-28 and sits at 1st in the AL East.
- Soto Goes Deep Twice as the Mets Take the Series in Philadelphia
- The New York Mets took a hard-fought 6–4 series win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, with NYM LF Juan Soto putting on a one-man show by going deep twice and driving in two runs in a performance that carried New York’s offense through the most critical stretches of the game. Soto’s first home run gave the Mets a 2–1 lead in the first inning and his second in the seventh was part of a three-run frame that essentially put the game away after Philadelphia had pulled within one. NYM 2B Marcus Semien added a clutch two-run triple and NYM CF AJ Ewing chipped in an RBI double as New York’s offense came through in the moments that mattered most. PHI SP Aaron Nola gave up two home runs and took the no-decision after five innings, and PHI RP José Alvarado absorbed the loss after allowing three runs in the seventh without finishing the inning, while NYM RP Huascar Brazoban earned the win and NYM RP Devin Williams closed it out for the save despite allowing a run in the ninth.
- New York (M) is now 34-41 and sits at 5th in the NL East.
- Philadelphia is now 40-35 and sits at 2nd in the NL East.
- Larnach, Lee, and Kreidler Go Deep as Minnesota Sweeps Texas
- The Minnesota Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a dominant 9–3 win at Globe Life Field, their most complete performance of a series that was never close from start to finish. MIN LF Trevor Larnach was the offensive star, going deep and driving in three runs while going 3-for-5 with two runs scored in arguably his best game of the season, while MIN SS Brooks Lee added a home run and three RBI and MIN CF Ryan Kreidler chipped in a two-run blast to give Minnesota three home runs on the day. MIN SP Joe Ryan was untouchable, going five innings on zero earned runs with seven strikeouts to earn the win in what was a masterclass in efficiency, while TEX SP Jack Leiter absorbed the loss after a brutal four innings allowing two home runs and six runs. TEX LF Wyatt Langford, TEX 2B Justin Foscue, and TEX 2B Ezequiel Duran each went deep in a losing effort, giving Texas three home runs of their own in a game that simply wasn’t close enough to matter.
- Minnesota is now 36-40 and sits at 3rd in the AL Central.
- Texas is now 35-39 and sits at 3rd in the AL West.
- Manzardo, Bazzana, and Fry Go Deep as Cleveland Snaps Milwaukee’s Win Streak
- The Cleveland Guardians handed the Milwaukee Brewers a 4–2 loss at American Family Field behind three home runs and a dominant outing from CLE SP Parker Messick, who struck out nine batters over six innings on just two earned runs in what was the best pitching performance of the day. CLE 1B Kyle Manzardo, CLE 2B Travis Bazzana, and CLE RF David Fry each went deep to account for all four of Cleveland’s runs, with each home run coming off a different Milwaukee reliever as the Brewers’ bullpen couldn’t hold the line after MIL SP Drew Rom exited in the second inning. Milwaukee managed just five hits on the day and left 12 men on base in a thoroughly frustrating offensive performance, with MIL RP Grant Anderson absorbing the loss after surrendering a home run and two runs in two-thirds of an inning in the seventh that broke a 2–2 tie. CLE RP Cade Smith closed it out with 1.1 scoreless innings for the save.
- Cleveland is now 40-35 and sits at 2nd in the AL Central.
- Milwaukee is now 45-27 and sits at 1st in the NL Central.
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 | 31 | 1. TB | 7 |
| 2. MIN | 24 | 2. ATL | 9 |
| 3. MIL | 23 | 3. KC | 10 |
| 4. DET/COL | 2 | 4. ARI/SD | 11 |
| Top Players in Home Runs during HRC | # of HRs |
|---|---|
| 1. ATH 1B Nick Kurtz | 7 |
| 2. STL 1B Alec Burleson, CHC CF Pete Crow-Armstrong, MIL LF Jackson Chourio, COL RF Hunter Goodman | 6 |
| 3. MIN CF Byron Buxton, SF 3B Matt Chapman, LAD DH Shohei Ohtani, ATH LF Tyler Soderstrom, CWS SS Colson Montgomery, ATH 3B Zack Gelof, LAA SS Zach Neto | 5 |
| 4. NYY 1B Paul Goldschmidt, BOS C Willson Contreras, SF SS Willy Adames, BAL 1B Pete Alonso, PIT LF Bryan Reynolds, NYM LF Juan Soto, PHI LF Brandon Marsh, WSH 1B Luis García Jr., MIL 2B Brice Turang, AZ CF Corbin Carroll, SEA DH Dominic Canzone, DET 1B Spencer Torkelson, DET 3B Colt Keith, WSH RF James Wood, MIN SS Brooks Lee, SF DH Bryce Eldridge | 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.
