Changing The Game

HGH and Steroid use have forever changed the way the game of baseball is played.  The “Steroid Era” saw ballparks built smaller and players grow much larger, resulting in a huge spike in home run numbers.  A game that used to rely on basehits and stolen bases now has fans on the edge of their seats waiting for the next ball to be hit into the bleachers.  The graph below shows the decrease in stolen bases and the increase in home runs in todays game.

*Graph is from :http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3a/MLB_HR_and_SB_rates.png

The modern home run record was set by Babe Ruth in 1927 with 60 home runs.  This was more home runs then several teams had combined that year and was almost a fluke of a stat (although Babe Ruth was a prolific home run hitter throughout his career).  Roger Maris topped it with 61 home runs in 1961.  Twenty-seven years later these numbers were shattered.  Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa hit 70 and 66, respectively.  And in 2001 Barry Bonds hit 73 home runs in a single season.

The following graph depicts the increase in home run totals in the league.  The massive numbers are from the “Steroid Era” of 1996-2007 and the lower numbers occured in the “Dead Ball Era” of 1900-1920.  In the “Steroid Era” league leader in home runs was an average of 51 (American Leauge) and 54 (National League), but was only 13 and 8 in the “Dead Ball Era”.