San Diego Padres catcher Rocky Gale hit his first home run of his career in his first at-bat this season. Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Three Up, Three Down: The home runs just keep on coming

Welcome to this week's edition of Three Up, Three Down — your weekly catch-up of the three best highlights (and lowlights) from around the league. We're here for all of the cheers and the jeers, because it's baseball. You can't have a winner without someone losing along the way.

Up: The most "homerific" season in MLB history

This past Tuesday ended up being a milestone moment for baseball when Alex Gordon hit a home run in what will ultimately go down as a meaningless game between the Royals and Blue Jays. However, the light-hitting Gordon ended up launching one of the most important dingers of the season. Why? Because his shot ended up being the 5,694th home run of the season, which is an MLB record.

The old record was set back in the heyday of the Steroid Era in 2000, and it would be foolish to suggest players juicing is the reason why the ball is flying out of the park this year. Instead, it's the ball that's been juiced. MLB has yet to confirm that this is the truth — and it's actually denied it in the past — but let's be real: When a guy like Rocky Gale is hitting a dinger out of Petco Park in his first at-bat since 2015, let's just say that something's afoot. I'm not complaining, though! Dingers are fun!

Down: An extreme lack of pennant race drama

Jayson Werth and the Nationals have been safely in the playoffs for a while now. Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

If you're a neutral baseball fan, this month has been a bit of a slog. Shoot, even if you're an extremely tribal fan who only follows your own team, this is probably a slow month for you as well. That's because all but two divisional races have already been settled, and both of the Wild Card races aren't actually all that intriguing.

Indeed, the only two divisional races are in the NL Central (which is basically the Cubs trying their best not to slip up with two teams chasing them) and the AL East (Yankees/Red Sox: Youth Movement edition!). The NL Wild Card race may get really interesting if the Rockies continue to slide, and the mediocrity of the teams involved in the race for the final spot in the AL Wild Card is keeping that from being really exciting. Simply put, I think  that we're all just waiting until October, and then maybe business will pick up.

Up: Chris Sale hits the 300 strikeouts mark

Chris Sale's Boston teammates enjoyed his 300th strikeout of the season perhaps more than he did. Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports

The AL Cy Young award conversation will be interesting this year, but it'll be hard to argue with the season that Chris Sale has had. He's been on fire for most of the 2017 season and is having a career year according to FanGraphs. He's also having a career year in missing bats, and he did something that only one other Red Sox pitcher has done in history.

Sale went eight innings against the Orioles Wednesday night and struck out 13, and the 13th strikeout was his 300th of the season. The only other pitcher in Red Sox history to throw 300 strikeouts in a season was Pedro Martinez during his legendary 1999 season. Anytime you're in the conversation with 1999 Pedro Martinez, you have done something absolutely amazing, and Chris Sale deserves all the praise and plaudits that are coming his way right now.

Down: It's time to extend the netting at Yankee Stadium

Todd Frazier was somber after a girl was struck with a ball he fouled off. Abbie Parr/Getty Images 

Wednesday afternoon should have been just a regular day at the ballpark for the fans who showed up to watch the Yankees and Twins play. Unfortunately, there was a terrible incident when a little girl took a liner straight to the face. It was an awful moment, and the players on the field were clearly shaken up once they saw what happened.

Todd Frazier went as far as to tearfully implore the powers that be to extend the netting at Yankee Stadium. This isn't the first incident to occur there, and while the little girl reportedly will be OK after spending the day at the hospital, it's clear that something needs to be done before an even worse incident happens. Hopefully Yankee Stadium will be proactive and extend the netting at the ballpark.

Up: Astros win the AL West with no problem at all

Carlos Correa and the Astros ran away with the AL West this season. Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Remember when I was talking about the lack of drama in this year's playoff races? The Houston Astros and their excellent play for the entire season played a role in the lack of drama. With that said, they've been impressive since the early stages of the season and successfully glided over any bumps in the road they faced.

We've done a lot of talking about how certain teams have been the talk of the baseball world with their various hot streaks, but it would've been easy to lose track of what the Astros have been doing this year. They'll definitely return to the spotlight once the playoffs start, and then the rest of the baseball world can go back to seeing what makes guys like Carlos Correa, Jose Altuve, George Springer and Dallas Keuchel so special.

Down: The Yankees celebrate their success with thumbs down

Greg Bird flashes the Yankees' new thumbs down celebration. Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Well, if the Yankees can turn a thumbs down into something positive, then we're going to dedicate a "Three Down" section to them. Let's flip the script for a moment here! Anyways, if you're wondering how this all started, then you should take a look at this Mets fan who showed up to the Yankees/Rays game at Citi Field with the sole purpose of rooting against the Yankees.

Todd Frazier got a hold of the gif and started using it as a celebration. The celebration spread like wildfire in the Yankees' clubhouse, and it's even gotten to the point where Frazier had T-shirts made with a pinstriped thumbs down . Let's just sit back and appreciate the fact that we live in a world where the New York Yankees are currently the young and exciting team that's having fun out there instead of being a somewhat soulless, business-like team that seemed to embody the Evil Empire during their heyday. It's been a strange year, y'all.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Timberwolves chew up Nuggets to force Game 7
Rangers secure spot in conference finals after stunning third-period comeback over Hurricanes
Xander Schauffele makes history in first round of PGA Championship
Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner shares massive Juan Soto contract update
Steelers' Cameron Heyward addresses contract holdout
Knicks star ruled out for potential closeout game
Dodgers starter undergoes season-ending UCL surgery
Clemson’s Dabo Swinney gives smug response about not using transfer portal
Caitlin Clark's debut was most-watched WNBA game in more than 20 years
Watch: Chris Kreider's natural third-period hat trick shatters Hurricanes' comeback hopes
Veteran NFL safety will either play for this team or retire in 2024
Former Red Wings head coach linked to open NHL job
How Patriots' Drake Maye has already impressed Jacoby Brissett
LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry among Forbes' highest-paid athletes for 2024
Steve Cohen addresses if Mets could again be trade-deadline sellers
Tiger Woods ruins strong first round with sloppy finish at PGA Championship
NFL responds to speculation about Chiefs schedule and Taylor Swift
Despite hopes for change, NASCAR championship weekend will return to Phoenix in 2025
Chiefs will achieve something not done since 1927 with 2024 schedule
Yankees' Aaron Judge comments on resurgence after bad slump