In news that should come as no surprise this season, Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz has made some noise with his bat. This happened in the first inning against the Rangers on Wednesday:
That would be Ortiz's 20th home run of the season, and seeing him rack up that total is commonplace. So commonplace, in fact, that the last season he didn't reach 20 homers was 2001. Yes, he's done it 15 consecutive seasons.
Here is the list -- a veritable who's who of all-time power hitters -- of the players in MLB history with at least 15 seasons of at least 20 home runs:
Hank Aaron, 20
Barry Bonds, 19
Frank Robinson, 17
Willie Mays, 17
Alex Rodriguez, 16
Jim Thome, 16
Eddie Murray, 16
Reggie Jackson, 16
Ted Williams, 16
Babe Ruth, 16
Ken Griffey Jr. 15
Fred McGriff, 15
Dave Winfield, 15
Willie Stargell, 15
Mel Ott, 15
And now David Ortiz with 15. The only players with at least 15 consecutive 20-homer seasons aside from Ortiz are Aaron, Bonds, Mays, A-Rod and Ruth.
Albert Pujols is at 14 and has 15 home runs this season, so he'll likely join. His haven't been consecutive, however, as Pujols only had 17 homers in 2013.
Ortiz continues to go out with a bang, as he entered Wednesday leading the majors in doubles, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.
