Baltimore Orioles fans have a lot to be excited about. Their team is just 2.5 games out of first place in the American League East, it just won its second consecutive game against the division-rival New York Yankees in dominating fashion and Chris Davis is doing some ridiculous things at the dish.
The 27-year-old first baseman is playing so well, in fact, that he joined some elite company Saturday in his team’s 11-3 win over the Yankees, as Rich Dubroff of CSNBaltimore.com noted:
Davis had two home runs and five RBIs. He now has 30 home runs, and is just the third American League player to hit that many before the end of June, according to Elias Sports. Only Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey did it before.
That Davis hit two home runs Sunday isn’t a surprise. Given his masterful 2013 campaign, there’s really nothing Davis hasn’t been capable of doing this season.
In 81 games this season, Davis is hitting a whopping .333 with an on-base percentage eclipsing the .400 mark (.408) and a staggering OPS of 1.133. If those stats weren’t enough, Davis has also driven in 79 runs to go along with his 30 home runs.
As ESPN Stats & Info also noted, Davis and second baseman Manny Machado are on pace to set another impressive record this season:
Davis has been a crucial part of Baltimore’s No. 2 offense this season. As a team, the Orioles have scored 395 runs and currently carry a run differential of plus-26—fifth best in the American League.
Davis’ success this season hasn’t come out of nowhere (he hit 33 home runs last season), but his career averages aren’t anywhere close to what the first baseman is doing in 2013. That statistical leap has caused some to point to performance-enhancing-drug use as the culprit, but as Bill Baer of ESPN points out, those people simply aren’t enjoying the game:
Regardless of Davis’ career numbers, he’s doing some special things this season. Not everyone can say they’re crushing the ball like Babe Ruth or Ken Griffey Jr.
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