I have the solution to the baseball record book as it applies to the “steroid age.” It’s actually quite simple.
When I was growing up I heard about “The Modern Age” of baseball, which started around 1900 or 1901 or 1904 depending on who you asked. What was clear was that the baseball of Ruth and Maris and Mazzilli was a different game than Charley Radbourn winning 59 games in 1884 or twelve home runs being the all-time home run record.
Most people agree that the numbers have changed again, probably because of steroids. What has also changed is second place teams winning the World Series, relief pitching in excess, smaller parks, arguably a juiced baseball, better training, better lighting etc.
So here’s the solution to the record book. We are going to close it, and we are going to close it in 1994. Close it when baseball shut down. Your home run leaders for what I will now refer to as “The Golden Age” are Hank Aaron and Roger Maris.
When baseball came back in ’95 it had a new format, realignment and likely rempant steroids. We’ll start the “Neo-modern Age” or “The Silver Age” or whatever you want to call it in 1995. Career stats will be assigned to the final year (and age) in which a player played.
Most home runs in a season and career in the Neo Age? Bonds. Most career wins by a pitcher, Greg Maddux (that will please people). The hit king? I’m too lazy to do the math but it very well could be Ichiro.
This keeps the “Golden Age” as pure as it can be, and allows us to separate 73 home runs the same way we separate 20 game winners and 59 game winners. A-Rod can hit as many homers as he wants, his records will never count in the Golden Age, and that’s OK.
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