Today’s high octane leadoff hitters are of a different makeup than those who dominated the role in the 20th century. Consider that going back to 1901, the single-year high marks for home runs, RBI, total bases and extra-base hits when batting leadoff all come from players in the 21st century, with Grady Sizemore’s 92 extra-base hits in 2006 the longest enduring apex*.
*The others: 49 home runs by Shohei Ohtani in 2025; 107 RBI by Mookie Betts in 2023; 383 total bases by Charlie Blackmon in 2017 and Ronald Acuña, Jr. in 2023.
Fernando Tatis, Jr. is not going to be challenging any of those top tallies this season, but peering within his own franchise, the three-time All-Star is yet another example of how much the profile at the top of the order has transformed.
Fernando Tatis, Jr. connected on his 23rd home run of the season as part of a two-hit day. Counting stat-wise, the 26-year-old is assembling the most prolifically powerful leadoff batting season that’s ever come out of San Diego:
Padres History: Most Home Runs as a Leadoff Hitter
23 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2025)
17 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2019)
12 Brian Giles (2007)
12 Scott Hairston (2008)
12 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2021)
Padres History: Most Extra-Base Hits as a Leadoff Hitter
52 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2025)
43 Bip Roberts (1990)
42 Gene Richards (1978)
Padres History: Most RBI as a Leadoff Hitter
66 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2025)
44 Quilvio Veras (1998)
44 Dave Roberts (2006)
Padres History: Most Total Bases as a Leadoff Hitter
253 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2025)
231 Gene Richards (1978)
222 Tony Fernández (1992)
Padres History: Most Runs Scored as a Leadoff Hitter
107 Fernando Tatis, Jr. (2025)
103 Rickey Henderson (1996)
95 Quilvio Veras (1999)
Juan Soto reached base safely three times in a loss on Sunday, and – with just a week left to go in the season – can claim a lifetime .418 on-base percentage. Soto is one of 46 players with at least 1,000 games through an age-26 season and among them, owns the fourth-best OBP for this age-related endpoint:
Highest OBP Through a Player’s Age-26 Season, Minimum 1,000 Games
.437 Jimmie Foxx
.430 Mickey Mantle
.419 Ty Cobb
.418 Juan Soto
.416 Mike Trout
.411 Mel Ott
.408 Rogers Hornsby
Speaking of highly placed reference points for current Mets stars, Francisco Lindor’s 28th home run of the season brought his career extra-base hit tally to 640. Three players in history have concluded their own age-31 seasons (like Lindor is doing) with a greater sum of doubles, triples and home runs while playing at least half of their games at shortstop: Álex Rodríguez (939), Cal Ripken, Jr. (676) and Robin Yount (670).
George Springer singled and doubled and drew a walk as Toronto won its 90th game and clinched a postseason berth. The club’s big year has coincided with a Springer boom, as the recently turned 36-year-old currently owns a 157 OPS+ and is flirting with a .300/.400/.500 line (he’s at .305/.395/.552). For qualifying players in age-35 or older seasons with at least half of their games at DH, a 157 OPS+ has been bettered on seven occasions (not counting Nelson Cruz’s 171 in the 2020 season). Those seven look like this:
172 Victor Martinez in 2014
168 Nelson Cruz in 2019
164 David Ortiz in 2016
160 Edgar Martínez in 2001
159 David Ortiz in 2013
158 Edgar Martínez in 1998
158 Edgar Martínez in 2000
~For this same cohort, a .300/.400/.500 season has been produced on 10 occasions: by Edgar Martínez four times (1998-2001), Paul Molitor twice (1993-1994), and single seasons from Julio Franco (1994), Chili Davis (1995), Victor Martinez (2014) and David Ortiz (2016).
The Mariners defeated the Astros to complete a three-game sweep and open up a three-game lead over Houston for the AL West lead. Seattle has played .737 ball this month (14-5); the 2001 Mariners finished their September-October with a .741 mark (20-7), the only one for the franchise in this split that exceeds what this 2025 team is putting together.
In the Mariners’ win, Cal Raleigh got one more swing and lift closer to 60 home runs, powering out his 58th longball of the year. Raleigh is tied with five others for the 12th most in history – Jimmie Foxx in 1932, Hank Greenberg in 1938, Mark McGwire in 1997, Ryan Howard in 2006 and Aaron Judge in 2024.
~Raleigh’s 2025 numbers and relative standing among all players in history with at least 100 games behind the plate shows him in these various slots:
→tied with Javy López (2003) for the fifth-highest OPS+, at 169
→ninth in slugging (.589), between Roy Campanella (.590 in 1951) and Joe Mauer (.587 in 2009)
→second in extra-base hits (80), behind Johnny Bench and his 84 in 1970
→tied with Salvador Perez (2021) for third in total bases, with 337
→ tied with Salvador Perez (2021) for 13th in RBI, with 121
Corbin Carroll hit his 31st home run and stole his 30th base to join the 30-30 club, an association now running to 76 members. Carroll is the first Diamondbacks representative to join and is one of a dozen to be in an age-24 or younger season – that subgroup looks like this:
20 Mike Trout (2012)
21 Ronald Acuña, Jr. (2019)
22 Álex Rodríguez (1998), Julio Rodríguez (2023)
23 Bobby Bonds (1969), José Canseco (1988), Bobby Witt, Jr. (2023)
24 Sammy Sosa (1993), David Wright (2007), Hanley Ramírez (2008), Bobby Witt, Jr. (2024), Corbin Carroll (2025)
The Pirates rolled to an 11-0 win on Sunday, the club’s 19th team shutout of the season – most in the Majors. The Pirates have also been shut out 16 times this year – second most in the Majors.
~This century, there are six clubs to have at least 16 of each:
2010 Dodgers: 16 team shutouts / 17 times being shut out
2010 Giants: 17 team shutouts / 16 times being shut out
2014 Rays: 22 team shutouts / 18 times being shut out
2018 Pirates: 16 team shutouts / 17 times being shut out
2022 Cardinals: 17 team shutouts / 16 times being shut out
2025 Pirates: 19 team shutouts / 16 times being shut out
~Pittsburgh’s 19 team shutouts are the most for the club since the 1992 team authored 20.
Ben Rice’s grand slam in the 10th inning broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Yankees to a 7-1 win. Rice and co. have nine grand slams this season, tied for the most in the Majors and the most for a Bronx Bombing squad since the 2022 team hit 10.
~Rice (127 OPS+) is one of five players on the Yankees roster with at least 100 games and an OPS+ of at least 125, along with Aaron Judge (209), Jazz Chisholm, Jr. (126), Trent Grisham (125) and Cody Bellinger (125). Five is fairly notable number for the franchise, as there have been eight seasons to see the team conclude the year with at least that many:
6 in 1932: Samuel Byrd, Ben Chapman, Earle Combs, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Babe Ruth
6 in 1933: Ben Chapman, Earle Combs, Bill Dickey, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Babe Ruth
5 in 1927: Earle Combs, Lou Gehrig, Tony Lazzeri, Bob Meusel, Babe Ruth
5 in 1939: Bill Dickey, Joe DiMaggio, Charlie Keller, Red Rolfe, George Selkirk
5 in 1951: Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Joe Collins, Gil McDougald, Gene Woodling
5 in 1952: Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Joe Collins, Mickey Mantle, Gene Woodling
5 in 1954: Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Joe Collins, Mickey Mantle, Irv Noren
5 in 2005: Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Álex Rodríguez, Gary Sheffield
Andrew Abbott (4.2 IP, 5 H) and three Reds relievers combined on a six-hitter for a 1-0 win over the Cubs. With a 2.80 ERA in 161.0 innings, Abbott’s finish line could see him become the first qualifying southpaw for the team to end so low since Greg Swindell scripted a 2.70 for the 1992 campaign.
~The Reds have come out on the bright side of a 1-0 game four times this season, tying the Yankees, Tigers and Mariners for the second most in the big leagues, behind the Padres’ five. For Cincinnati, they last had as many as four in the 2014 season, when they had four.
Emmet Sheehan was about as overbearing as can be in his seven innings, allowing one hit with 10 strikeouts and no walks or runs. The effort comes out as the 46th for a Dodger in the Modern Era to feature double-digit strikeouts along with no runs or walks allowed, with six also boasting of one hit or no hits surrendered. Details from those six:
1965: Sandy Koufax throws a perfect game, 14 K’s
1908: Nap Rucker throws a no-hitter (there are three errors behind him), 14 K’s
1970: Bill Singer throws a no-hitter (Singer himself makes two errors and hits a batter), 10 K’s
2014: Clayton Kershaw throws a no-hitter (one error costs Kershaw the perfect game), 15 K’s
2022: Clayton Kershaw throws seven perfect innings before being lifted, 13 K’s
2025: Emmet Sheehan allows one hit in seven innings with two hit batters, 10 K’s
Tampa Bay second baseman Brandon Lowe connected on his 30th home run of the season, the second time in his eight-year career he’s reached the milestone. Lowe is the third member of the franchise to have multiple notches at 30, joining Evan Longoria (four seasons with 30+) and Carlos Peña (three). Lowe’s tally of 156 career round-trippers offers a top-10 mark for all second basemen through their first eight seasons.
First Eight Seasons – Players with 50+% of Games at 2B and 156+ HR
231 Dan Uggla
208 Alfonso Soriano
192 Brian Dozier
182 Joe Gordon
177 Chase Utley
177 Robinson Canó
161 Jeff Kent
161 Rougned Odor
156 Ian Kinsler
156 Brandon Lowe
Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.
Roger Schlueter
As Sr. Editorial Director for Major League Baseball Productions from 2004-2015, Roger served as a hub for hundreds of hours of films, series, documentaries and features: as researcher, fact-checker, script doctor, and developer of ideas. The years at MLB Production gave him the ideal platform to pursue what galvanized him the most – the idea that so much of what takes place on the field during the MLB regular and postseason (and is forever beautifully condensed into a box score) has connections to what has come before. Unearthing and celebrating these webs allows baseball to thrive, for the present can come alive and also reignite the past.