Raul Ibanez hit his ninth homer of June and 18th of the season Wednesday against the Pirates, putting him on record pace for a 41-year-old.
No player has ever hit 30 homers at age 41 or beyond. Ted Williams tops the list with 29 at age 41 in his last season prior to retirement. Barry Bonds hit 26 at 41 and 28 in 42 before he was forced out of the league. Here’s the list of players 41 and over:
1. Ted Williams - 29 - (41, 1960)
2. Barry Bonds - 28 - (42, 2007)
3. Barry Bonds - 26 - (41, 2006)
4. Darrell Evans - 22 - (41, 1988)
5. Dave Winfield - 21 - (41, 1993)
6. Stan Musial - 19 - (41, 1962)
7. Carlton Fisk - 18 - (42, 1990)
7. Carlton Fisk - 18 - (43, 1991)
7. Raul Ibanez - 18 - (41, 2013)
10. Craig Nettles - 16 - (41, 1986)
10. Carl Yastrzemski - 16 - (42, 1982)
So, with 83 games still left in the Mariners’ season, Ibanez is sixth in homers among 41-year-olds and tied for seventh among anyone 41 or over. Even more impressive is that he’s gotten there while playing in just 58 of the Mariners’ 79 games so far. He certainly figures to fade from here, but given that his approach now is much more geared towards homers than singles and doubles, there’s a realistic chance he’ll get to 30 and set the record.