Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu slugged two home runs in Friday night’s contest against the Toronto Blue Jays to become the first player in MLB history with 25 homers through the first 67 games of his career, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Abreu led off the fifth inning of Friday’s game with his 24th home run of the season. He hit his 25th of the year and second of the game in his next at-bat in the seventh inning.
Blue Jays first baseman Edwin Encarnacion also hit home run No. 25 Friday night, creating a three-way tie atop MLB’s home run leaderboard. The third player, Baltimore Orioles outfielder Nelson Cruz, went deep in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.
With his 25 home runs in only 67 games, Abreu has shattered the previous record of 72 games needed to reach 25 homers, set by Rudy York of the 1937 Detroit Tigers. Mark McGwire was second fastest, needing 77 games to reach the mark during his rookie campaign with the Oakland Athletics in 1987. Wally Berger of the 1930 Boston Braves now drops to fourth on this list, hitting 25 home runs in his first 79 career games.
AL Home Run Derby Captain Jose Bautista should be looking forward to this year’s Derby, as Abreu, Encarnacion and Cruz are all American Leaguers. Florida Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton currently paces the National League with his 21 homers, while Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki sits in second with 18.
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