Chris Davis and Orioles fans alike had visions of the slugging first baseman setting franchise records after he crushed 53 home runs in 2013. But the record he’s set to own soon isn’t one to be terribly proud of.
With one more strikeout, Davis will pass Cal Ripken Jr. for the most punch-outs in team history. He tied Ripken’s record of 1,305 strikeouts during a loss to the Twins on Thursday.
Chris Davis strikes out against Fernando Rodney leading off the 9th. No. 1,305 to tie Cal Ripken Jr. for #orioles record. Cal played 21 seasons. This is Davis' 8th with O's
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) July 6, 2018
What makes this number embarrassing for Davis is that he matched Ripken in 2,029 fewer games, or more than 12 full seasons. The Baltimore Sun noted Adam Jones, who is third on the franchise list for strikeouts with 89 fewer than Davis, has played 3 1/2 more seasons with Baltimore than Davis.
For greater context, Ripken never struck out more than 95 times in a season, while Davis has averaged 194 per season in Baltimore since arriving in 2011.
At 32 years old, Davis is enduring his worst MLB season. In 70 games he’s batting .152 with only seven home runs and 24 RBIs. He’s tied for fifth in all of baseball with 103 strikeouts so far in 2018.
Davis, in all likelihood, will break Ripken’s record Friday against the Twins.