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The 30 Major League Baseball teams combined to belt the most home runs in history – 6,776, or 10% more than the next-highest season of 6,105 in 2017. Let’s dive into the record books to explore which MLB teams have been the best at hitting home runs. Way back in 1884, the origins of the Chicago Cubs – the Colts, then the White Stockings – began a run of eight straight seasons in which they led the league in home runs.
Had Mickey Mantle stayed healthy throughout his career, he certainly would've challenged Ruth's mark. Lou Gehrig certainly would have as well, the way he was slugging prior to his tragic death as a result of the disease that bears his name . But Ruth is a fitting answer here given that he was the first great home run hitter in baseball history, revolutionizing the game after joining the Yankees in 1920. The Sultan of Swat belted more than 40 home runs 11 times in his 22-year career, and hit more than 50 four times, including a 60-homer campaign in 1927. That record stood for 34 years before another Yankee, Roger Maris, broke it in 1961. Cody Bellinger got off to the hottest of starts, setting a Major League record with 14 homers before May 1 to launch himself into the NL MVP conversation.
Most grand slams by a player in one season
Gonzalez finished third in NL MVP Award voting that season and to cap off his year, he delivered a walk-offf single off Mariano Rivera in Game 7 of the World Series. Ironically, it was a broken-bat bloop to shallow center field over New York's drawn-in infield. The home run was later reinstated by American League president Larry MacPhail.
No surprise here, as Aaron spent 21 of his 23 seasons as a member of the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves franchise and hit most of his 755 home runs with the club. Early in his final season as a Brave, on April 8, 1974, the legendary slugger blasted the 715th homer of his career, breaking Babe Ruth’s all-time record. A model of consistency, Aaron crushed 30-plus homers 15 times, tied with Alex Rodriguez for the most in history. The first-ballot Hall of Famer now ranks second all time in homers, third in hits and first in RBIs .
Most Seasons Seasons With 200+ Home Runs Hit
But Bellinger had plenty of help; Joc Pederson launched a career-high 36 dingers while Max Muncy showed his 2018 breakout was far from a fluke by equaling that season's total with 35 homers. Rookies Will Smith (15 homers in 170 at-bats), Alex Verdugo, Matt Beaty, Edwin Rios, Kyle Garlick and Gavin Lux combined for 45 dingers, showing that the Dodgers' future should be packed with plenty more power. Currently, the teams that top the HR record list are headed by the Minnesota twins with 307 HR in a season and the Yankees just behind them with a total of 306 homers. The third spot remains way behind those two, with the Houston Astros claiming 288, followed by Los Angeles Dodgers’ 279, Seattle Mariners’ 264, and Texas Rangers’ 260. After becoming the first Brewers player since Robin Yount to win an MVP Award in 2011, Braun flew past the Hall of Famer to claim sole possession of the franchise record with his 252nd career homer in 2015.
So I only considered duos who played together for at least four seasons, and I only considered sluggers who topped the 40-homer mark at least once during their years together. Last night, the Philadelphia Phillies tied the all-time record for most home runs in a World Series game after hitting five against the Houston Astros. The Phillies jumped all over Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr., who appeared to be tipping his pitches, a mistake Philadelphia exploited.
Going, Going, Gone: The Teams With the Most Home Runs in MLB History
The Twins' wide array of power sources on the record-setting day was fitting for the 2019 club. Eight different Twins reached the 20-homer mark -- Cruz , Kepler , Miguel Sano , Eddie Rosario , Garver , Cron , Jonathan Schoop and Polanco -- to make Minnesota the first team in MLB history to have eight 20-home-run hitters in a season. Expectations were high for the 2018 Yankees to challenge the team homer mark, especially after New York pulled off its blockbuster trade for Stanton in the offseason. But the Bronx Bombers' path to 267 took some unexpected turns.
While Ty Cobb holds the majority of Tigers records, the man known as “Mr. A Hall of Famer, Kaline spent his entire 22-year career in Detroit and fell one homer shy of the 400 mark while also collecting more than 3,000 hits. The 18-time All-Star never reached the 30-homer plateau in a season, but he finished with a total between seven times. Miguel Cabrera, who is under contract with the Tigers through 2023, could eventually leapfrog Kaline. The two-time AL MVP Award winner entered the 2020 season with 339 homers as a Tiger.
On September 4, 1999, eight players from the Cincinnati Reds hit a home run in a game versus the Philadelphia Phillies setting a Major League record for most players with a home run during a game. The Cubs are one of many tied for second on this list with five homers in a playoff game. They hit that number in Game 1 of the 1984 NLCS against the San Diego Padres.
But in 2019, five Twins slugged at least 30 – Nelson Cruz with 41, then Max Kepler , Miguel Sano , Eddie Rosario and Mitch Garver . Meanwhile, the Yankees had an MLB-record 14 players reach double figures in home runs hit, led by Gleyber Torres and Gary Sanchez . The Twins eclipsed the previous record of 267 home runs in a season set by the Yankees in 2018 with 8 different players having 20 plus homer seasons a first in itself. Presented below are each teams’ home run records in a single season.
On Sept. 14, 1987, the Toronto Blue Jays set the single-game record that still stands with 10 home runs in an 18-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Ernie Whitt smacked three homers in the rout, while George Bell and Rance Mulliniks hit two apiece. For this ranking, the parameters are set up with Stanton and Judge in mind, and what they could become if they stay healthy and productive together in the same lineup.
Tex got plenty of support from Alfonso Soriano, who hit 30 of his 36 total homers out of the No. 5 spot, along with David Dellucci , Hank Blalock , Kevin Mench , Michael Young and Rod Barajas . In fact, this Rangers team tied a big league record with nine players knocking at least 15 roundtrippers. The Twins' march to the team home run record was a long time coming, and in the last inning of their last game of August, they surpassed the 2018 Bronx Bombers for the single-season record. Mitch Garver did the honors, crushing the record-setting long ball off the Tigers' Joe Jimenez. That one was just the capper of a six-homer day by Minnesota -- Garver homered twice, and Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, C.J. Cron and Nelson Cruz also went deep.
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