USA Today: Drop-off in home runs not so deep

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While the names have changed, the number of home runs being hit is virtually the same as a year ago, varying little from Mark McGwire’s record-setting season in 1998.

There have been 1.85 home runs per game this season, down 3% from the same time last year, when 1.91 homers a game were being hit, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. There are almost as many home runs and runs scored per game (9.00) this year as 2002 (1.95 homers and 9.09 runs) — two years before baseball began testing for steroids.

“That really surprises me because it seems like far less homers are being hit,” says Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon. “But then you’ve got guys like (Chicago White Sox outfielder) Carlos Quentin. He’s looks like a mini-Jose Canseco out there.”

..."What might be confusing people is that the home run rate normally goes up in warmer weather,” says Steve Hirdt, Elias executive vice president. “So people might be concluding that there’s a big drop, when there’s not. It’s no different than last year when we ended up at 2.04 (per game).”