CC Sabathia on entering the Hall of Fame and wearing a Yankees cap on his plaque
CC Sabathia will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame this July and tells USA TODAY Sports why his plaque will feature him wearing a Yankees cap.
Sports Seriously
Major League Baseball‘s 2025 season already is nearing its quarter point, with teams approaching 40 games played by the end of the week.
A small sample size to be sure, but the first six weeks of the campaign have featured some jaw-dropping statistical performances that have players (and one very bad team) on pace to set records and others to put up numbers not seen since the Truman administration.
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is having the best start of his career, batting .414 entering May 6 and is going to be in the running to push for several single-season marks, including Babe Ruth’s total bases record. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies are on pace to put together the worst record in baseball history, potentially dethroning last season’s Chicago White Sox, who finished 41-121.
Here’s a look at some notable feats that we’re on pace for, about 25% of the way into 2025:
All stats through May 5
Colorado Rockies: Worst record in history (41-121, Chicago White Sox)
Rockies: 6-28 record, on pace for 29-133
It took more than 60 years for the infamous 1962 Mets to be overtaken by the 2024 White Sox as “The Worst Team Ever,” but the Rockies are playing historically bad baseball and will almost certainly be in the running for this record through the summer.
Aaron Judge: Total bases record (457, Babe Ruth)
Judge: 101 in 35 games, on pace for 467
This one is a real possibility for Judge who’s on pace for a career-high in doubles as well as his fourth 50-home run season, something only accomplished by Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. Shohei Ohtani got to 414 last season, the first 400-total base season since 2001. Ruth racked up 457 in 1921, and the top five single season totals all came in 1932 or earlier.
Robert Suarez: Saves record (62, Francisco Rodriguez)
Suarez: 14 saves in 16 appearances, on pace for 66 saves
The Padres right-hander has given up just one earned run in 16 innings (0.56 ERA) and has established himself as one of the league’s best closers. The Padres (probably) won’t continue winning a .676 clip and there will be less of an abundance of chances for Suarez, but he’s gotten off to a record-setting start and this is worth watching for as the season goes on.
Michael Toglia: Strikeouts record (223, Mark Reynolds)
Toglia: 48 in 33 games, on pace for 229
Certainly not a record anybody wants to set, but the Rockies first baseman is tracking towards beating out some of the all-time strikeout kings. The 26-year-old is really struggling at the plate (.568 OPS) and even though the Rockies are on pace to have the worst season in baseball history, it’s hard to imagine Toglia stays in the lineup long enough to push for this bit of infamy.
Aaron Judge: Hits record (262, Ichiro Suzuki)
Judge: 55 hits in 35 games, on pace for 255
Ichiro Suzuki set the single-season hits record in 2004 and the Hall of Famer’s style was certainly more conducive to reaching the mark than Judge’s, the Yankees star could easily have the first 200-hit season of his career and a batting title would be quite an add to his trophy collection.
Shohei Ohtani: 150 runs
Ohtani: 37 runs 33 games, on pace for 171
Billy Hamilton’s 198 runs in 1894 is a mark that will never be broken, but Ohtani can become just the second player since 1950 to score 150 times, joining Hall of Fame slugger Jeff Bagwell (152 in 2000). Ronald Acuña Jr. got to 149 in his 2023 MVP season and the only other players to reach 145 since 1950 were Rickey Henderson (146 in 1985), Craig Biggio (146 in 1997) and Sosa (146 in 2001).
Bowden Francis: Home runs allowed record (50, Bert Blyleven)
Francis: 11 home runs allowed in 7 starts, on pace for 52
The Blue Jays starter actually didn’t give a home run in his last start, but got shelled in April, surrendering five homers in three innings against the Red Sox on April 29. Francis’ pace is all the more impressive considering that Blyleven set that record in 1986 across 271 ⅔ innings, while the Toronto right-hander is on pace for 167 this year.
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