TORONTO — Kansas City’s Alex Gordon hit major league baseball’s record 5,694th home run of 2017, breaking the season mark.
Gordon’s home run off Toronto’s Ryan Tepera on Tuesday night raised the total to one more than the 5,693 set in 2000 at the height of the Steroids Era. The record was broken with just less than two weeks remaining in the regular season.
There were 5,610 homers last year, an average of 2.31 per game, and this year’s average of 2.53 entering Tuesday’s action projects to 6,139. That would be up 47 percent from 4,186 in 2014.
Power subsided after the start of drug testing with penalties in 2004. The home run average dropped in 2014 to its lowest level since 1992, then started rising during the second half of the 2015 season.
YANKEES: Luis Severino was moved up two days and is scheduled to start Wednesday against Minnesota.
Yankees Manager Joe Girardi said the move was made to give Severino three more regular-season starts as New York tries to overtake Boston in the AL East.
Severino had been slated to start Friday at Toronto and will be replaced against the Blue Jays by Masahiro Tanaka.
Severino is 13-6 with a 2.93 ERA in 29 starts this season.
Severino will be pitching on regular four days’ rest.
Severino has never faced the Twins, a potential opponent in the AL wild-card game.
CARDINALS: St. Louis activated right-hander Adam Wainwright from the 10-day disabled list.
Wainwright, 36, had been sidelined by a right elbow impingement. Manager Mike Matheny says he will pitch of the bullpen.
BRAVES: The Braves received final approval for a new spring training complex near Sarasota, Florida.
The team plans to break ground next month after city commissioners in North Port voted 3-2 to approve the $100 million complex.
The facility is set to open in 2019, meaning the Braves will spend one more year at their current Disney World complex where they have trained since 1998.
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