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Jorge Soler hit his sixth home run of the 2026 season on Monday with the Los Angeles Angels and is approaching a historic milestone in Major League Baseball: the Cuban player is just five home runs away from surpassing Kendrys Morales (213) and becoming the sixth player born on the island with the most home runs in the history of this challenging tournament.
The hit came against the Chicago White Sox, with pitcher Osvaldo Bido, in the top of the seventh inning with two outs.
It was a solo home run to left-center field with an exit velocity of 107.9 mph, an angle of 24°, and a distance of 431 feet, according to MLB Statcast data.
With that home run, Soler has accumulated approximately 208 home runs in his regular season career, placing him five away from reaching Morales' record.
Sports journalist Francys Romero summarized the moment: "He is now five home runs away from surpassing Kendrys Morales (213) and becoming the sixth player born in Cuba with the most home runs in Major League Baseball history."
The all-time ranking of Cubans with the most home runs in MLB is led by Rafael Palmeiro (569), followed by José Canseco (462), Tony Pérez (379), José Abreu (261), and Tony Oliva (220).
Kendrys Morales, who retired from professional baseball in February 2020 with 213 home runs, has held the sixth place on that list for six years.
Soler's powerful streak this season has been remarkable.
On April 24, he hit a grand slam against the Cincinnati Reds, and on April 27, he added another solo home run against the same White Sox team he punished again this Monday.
Soler joined the Angels on October 31, 2024 through a trade from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for pitcher Griffin Canning, after having signed with the San Francisco Giants in February 2024 for three seasons.
Born in Havana, the gardener left Cuba illegally in 2011 after two attempts and debuted in Major League Baseball with the Chicago Cubs in 2014.
His greatest individual achievement came in 2021 when he was named World Series MVP with the Atlanta Braves after hitting three home runs in games one, four, and six.
In 2023, with the Miami Marlins, Soler was one of four Cubans with 30 home runs in that same season, with 36 home runs in 137 games.
This month of April also featured an incident when, after hitting a home run against the Braves on April 8, he got into a fight with Dominican pitcher Reynaldo López and accused him of throwing at his head.
If Soler maintains the power rhythm he has shown in the first weeks of the season, Morales' historical record could fall within days, placing him just behind Tony Oliva in the ranking of the most home run hitters of all time among Cubans in MLB.
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