Baseball’s September stretch has a way of turning the ordinary box score into a little piece of history. This past week brought thunder from Jo Adell, a marathon walk by Tristan Peters, milestone swings from Pete Alonso and Kyle Schwarber, and a ninth-inning save from the major league innings leader.
Week at a glance
| Player | Moment | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Jo Adell | Hard-hit home run | 116.8 mph |
| Tristan Peters | Walk | 18 pitches |
| Bryce Eldridge | Home run distance | 461 feet |
| Pete Alonso | Career home runs | 300 |
| Kyle Schwarber | Season home runs | 45 |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | Season home runs | 44 |
| Sandy Alcantara | MLB-leading workload | 206 innings |
| Matt Olson | Consecutive games played | 935 |
Adell put one on top of Cleveland’s Statcast board
Adell’s Sunday homer left the bat at 116.8 mph, the hardest home run tracked in Cleveland during the Statcast era, which began in 2015. Only one batted ball in that span has been struck harder there: Jhonkensy Noel’s 117.2 mph single on April 13, 2025.
Adell now owns each club’s top exit velocity this season for both the Guardians and Angels. His Cleveland homer leads one list, while a 114.9 mph ball on May 22 remains his best for the Angels. Only Jake Burger in 2023 with the White Sox and Marlins, and Jorge Soler in 2021 with the Royals and Braves, have ended a Statcast season as the hardest-hit player for two teams.
Peters kept the at-bat alive
Tristan Peters did not need a hit Monday to make the record book. He drew an 18-pitch walk, tied for the fifth-longest plate appearance recorded since pitch totals began being tracked in 1988.
It also matched the longest walk in that span by pitch count. Adam Kennedy had previously reached the same 18-pitch mark in a June 10, 2004, walk.
Eldridge joins rare Giants power company
Bryce Eldridge launched a 461-foot homer Tuesday, his third blast of at least 450 feet this season. The 21-year-old now sits second among Giants players in single-season 450-foot homers in the Statcast era, trailing Austin Slater’s four in 2021.
Among players age 21 or younger, Eldridge is tied for second in a season with three such drives. Elly De La Cruz set the age-group standard with four in 2023. The call fit the flight of Eldridge’s ball: “That one is on vacation!”
Alonso reaches 300 against an old club
Alonso’s 300th career home run arrived Tuesday at Citi Field, and it came against a club for which he once logged at least 1,000 games. He became only the third player to reach No. 300 under that circumstance, joining Willie Horton, who did it against Detroit, and Torii Hunter, who did it against Minnesota.
He was the 20th player overall to hit his 300th homer against any former team for which he had appeared in at least one game.
Caminero delivers again
Junior Caminero followed Friday’s playoff-clinching walk-off homer with another game-ending shot Tuesday. At 23 years and 72 days old on the date of the second homer, he became the second-youngest player in major league history to hit two walk-off home runs within four games.
Only Nick Kurtz was younger when he accomplished the feat, doing so at age 22 years and 99 days on June 19, 2025.
Schwarber is chasing Ruth in Philadelphia
Schwarber’s 45th homer Wednesday was also his 232nd since arriving in Philadelphia. That total ranks second for a player’s first five seasons with one franchise, behind Babe Ruth’s 235 Yankees home runs.
There is still calendar left for Schwarber to make that old Yankees number matter even more.
Crow-Armstrong keeps filling the Cubs ledger
Pete Crow-Armstrong posted his sixth game this season with at least 10 total bases Wednesday, tying Nelson Cruz for the most in a season since 1900. He has 10 such games for his career, level with Hank Sauer and Ernie Banks for third-most in Cubs history. Billy Williams and Sammy Sosa lead that club list with 12 apiece.
Crow-Armstrong’s season home run total reached 44, the most ever by a left-handed Cubs hitter in one year. It also matched Banks’ 1955 club mark for the most homers in a season by a Cub age 24 or younger.
Salas announces himself with two swings
Ethan Salas hit the first two homers of his major league career Wednesday, becoming the youngest catcher ever to produce a two-homer game. He was 20 years and 107 days old.
Over the past two decades, the only players at that age or younger with a multihomer game include Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout. That is a serious row of lockers to enter.
Alcantara works like a starter, finishes like a closer
Alcantara, already leading the majors with 206 innings, recorded a save Wednesday. He became the fourth pitcher to earn a save while holding at least a share of the MLB innings-pitched lead that same day.
Orel Hershiser did it in May 1987, Phil Niekro in July 1978 and Andy Messersmith in May 1975. Niekro remains the only pitcher to finish a full season as the major league innings leader while also recording a save, a list Alcantara appears likely to join once the season closes.
Olson’s attendance streak keeps climbing
Matt Olson entered Friday having played in 935 straight games, a run stretching back to May 2, 2021. It stands eighth on the all-time major league list.
Since divisional play began in 1969, only five other streaks of at least 700 games have started: Cal Ripken Jr.’s record 2,632 from 1982 through 1998, Steve Garvey’s 1,207 from 1975 through 1983, Miguel Tejada’s 1,152 from 2000 through 2007, Pete Rose’s 745 from 1978 through 1983, and Dale Murphy’s 740 from 1981 through 1986.
The long ball grabbed most of the week’s attention, as it usually does in September. But Peters taking 18 pitches, Alcantara taking the ball for a save after carrying 206 innings, and Olson simply continuing to show up supplied the other side of the season’s late grind.
