Home Run Records Start Falling Like Tenpins

The 1996 season will be remembered as the Year of the Home Run - officially.

Gary Sheffield of the Florida Marlins hit the 4,459th home run of the major league season Sunday, breaking the record set in 1987.

And, as pitchers are well aware, there are still three full weeks left in the season.

Sheffield homered in the fifth inning against Montreal’s Pedro Martinez. About 20 minutes earlier, Mike Piazza of Los Angeles hit the 4,458th, tying the mark set nine years ago.

Earlier Sunday, Todd Hundley of the New York Mets became the ninth player to hit 40 home runs this season, breaking the major league record set when Roger Maris and seven others did it in 1961.

Hundley joined Mark McGwire, Albert Belle, Brady Anderson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Juan Gonzalez of the A.L. and Sheffield, Andres Galarraga and Sammy Sosa of the N.L. with 40.

Hundley ties Campanella

Todd Hundley’s journey into history lasted longer than he hoped. But with a hearty hack at a fat fastball, he finally reached his destination and provided one more momentary respite from a Mets season marked mostly by expectations unfulfilled.

Hundley hit his 40th home run off rookie reliever Joe Borowski with one out in the seventh inning of the Mets’ 6-2 victory over the Braves, and matched Roy Campanella’s major-league record for home runs in a season by a catcher, set in 1953.

Hundley also broke Darryl Strawberry’s single-season Mets record.

Fregosi, Thomas look daggers

For six years, they have been almost indivisible allies. But by Sunday, it had become so apparent there is a serious rift in the relationship between Phillies manager Jim Fregosi and general manager Lee Thomas, their boss said that if they can’t repair the damage, he may have to fire one or both of them.

Darin! Darin! He’s our man

Saturday was Kirby Puckett Night in the Metrodome. Sunday was Darin Erstad Day, minus the flashy pregame ceremony, laser shows and speeches.

The crowd of 14,378 fans was much smaller than Saturday’s, but about 3,000 of those - roughly one-fifth the population of Jamestown, N.D. - made the 5-1/2-hour drive to Minneapolis to see the California Angels outfielder, their hometown hero, play against the Twins.

Three North Dakota newspaper reporters and two television crews were on hand to chronicle the event. Among the party was U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and several hundred members of Trinity of Lutheran Church.