after the strike 95 and esp 96 with yankees starting to run,the sport needed a really big push,who knows who said what mlb commish,executives,gm's scout's or all in unison ,obviosly decided it was the long ball and run production and the 1 record that held power stat and that was maris's.started with one smaller dude who never hit 20 or more in a season a consitent good hitter and great fielder with a good ahletic build "brady anderson"hits 50
,never to break 20 again and then fizzles out with injuries.then over next few seasons matt williams had 30 hrs at all star break ends up with consecutive broken wrists same time each year,he might have originally broken that record,i think strike year he had big numbers when they closed season.then the alleged drug duo mcquire and sosa put on that "feelgood"lovefest
,and that's what steamed bonds.then the rest is history.