In baseball, a home run (HR) is typically a fair hit that passes over an outfield fence or into the stands at a distance from home plate of 250 feet or more, which entitles the batter to legally touch all bases and score without liability. Atypically, a batter who hits a fair ball and touches each base in succession from 1st to home, without an error being charged to a defensive player, is credited with an inside-the-park home run. If, during a play, defensive or fan interference is called, and the awarded bases allow the batter to cross home plate, the batter is credited with a home run.
Wes Ferrell holds the all-time Major League Baseball record for home runs hit while playing the position of pitcher. He hit 37 as a pitcher. Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Lemon and Warren Spahn are tied for second with 35 career home runs apiece. Red Ruffing, Earl Wilson, and Don Drysdale are the only other pitchers to hit at least 25 home runs. Jack Stivetts hit a total of 35 home runs in his playing career, 21 as a pitcher. Ferrell and Ruffing also rank among the top pitchers in batting average, hitting .280 and .269, respectively.
As of the 2023 season, Shohei Ohtani, holds the lead among all active pitchers. Madison Bumgarner, with 19 home runs, holds the lead among all active pitchers that exclusively do so. Bumgarner also has hit the second most home runs by a pitcher since the American League adopted the designated hitter rule in 1973 (behind Carlos Zambrano). Bumgarner has played most of his career thus far for the San Francisco Giants of the National League, and is currently playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Starting with the 2022 season, the National League also adopted the designated hitter rule, so most pitchers will no longer bat, except two-way players, such as Shohei Ohtani.
Ferrell, who had a career slash line of .280/.351/.446, had his best offensive year in 1931, when he set the single-season record for home runs by a pitcher with nine. The record had previously been held by Stivetts, who had hit seven in 1890. Since 1931, six different pitchers have hit seven home runs in a season: Ferrell, Lemon, Don Newcombe, Don Drysdale (twice), Wilson, and Mike Hampton.
Babe Ruth started his major league career as a pitcher before moving to the outfield. Only 14 of his 714 career home runs were hit as a pitcher, however.
The first pitcher to officially hit a home run was Jack Manning, who accomplished the feat on August 3, 1876. The most home runs by a pitcher in a single game is three, achieved by Jim Tobin on May 13, 1942.
Career
All-time
† | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame. |
---|---|
Bold | Denotes active player. |
Player | Home runs | Career total | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wes Ferrell | 37 | 38 | Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. | |
Bob Lemon | 35 | 37 | Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. | |
Warren Spahn | 35 | 35 | ||
Red Ruffing | 34 | 36 | Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. | |
Earl Wilson | 33 | 35 | Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. | |
Don Drysdale | 29 | 29 | ||
John Clarkson | 24 | 24 | ||
Bob Gibson | 24 | 24 | ||
Carlos Zambrano | 24 | 24 | ||
Walter Johnson | 23 | 24 | Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. | |
Jack Stivetts | 21 | 35 | Hit 11 home runs while playing various other positions and three as a pinch hitter. | |
Milt Pappas | 20 | 20 | ||
Dizzy Trout | 20 | 20 | ||
Jack Harshman | 19 | 21 | Hit two home runs as a first baseman. | |
Madison Bumgarner | 19 | 19 | ||
Cy Young | 18 | 18 | ||
Schoolboy Rowe | 16 | 18 | Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. | |
Jim Tobin | 16 | 17 | Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. | |
Jim Kaat | 16 | 16 | ||
Mike Hampton | 16 | 16 | ||
Jouett Meekin | 15 | 15 | ||
Hal Schumacher | 15 | 15 | ||
Lefty Grove | 15 | 15 | ||
Claude Passeau | 15 | 15 | ||
Joe Nuxhall | 15 | 15 | ||
Early Wynn | 15 | 17 | Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. | |
Don Newcombe | 15 | 15 | ||
Dick Donovan | 15 | 15 | ||
Don Cardwell | 15 | 15 | ||
Pedro Ramos | 15 | 15 | ||
Rick Wise | 15 | 15 | ||
Gary Peters | 15 | 19 | Hit four home runs as a pinch hitter |
Active
Player | Home runs | Career total | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
Madison Bumgarner | 19 | 19 | Only pitcher to hit two home runs on Opening Day. | |
Shohei Ohtani | 9 | 225 | Has 225 career home runs, but 214 of them are as a designated hitter, and 2 are as a pinch hitter. | |
Zack Greinke | 9 | 9 | Hit two home runs in consecutive at-bats against the San Diego Padres on April 2, 2019—a three-run homer off of Eric Lauer in the fourth, and a solo shot off Adam Warren in the sixth. This happened exactly two years after Bumgarner's two-home run opening day game, a game in which he hit one of his home runs off of Greinke. | |
Noah Syndergaard | 6 | 6 | First pitcher to hit a home run in a 1-0 complete game shutout since Bob Welch in 1983. | |
Michael Lorenzen | 4 | 7 | Has hit 7 career home runs, but only 4 while playing in the pitcher position. While Lorenzen sometimes plays outfield, his other 3 home runs were as a pinch hitter. Lorenzen hit home runs on back-to-back nights against the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018—a solo home run as pitcher on June 29, and a grand slam as a pinch hitter on June 30. |
- Statistics obtained from MLB.com. Updated through July 4, 2024.
Single-season
† | Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame. |
---|---|
Bold | Denotes active player. |
Player | Home runs | Season total | Year | Team | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wes Ferrell | 9 | 9 | 1931 | Cleveland Indians | |
Jack Stivetts | 7 | 7 | 1890 | St. Louis Browns | |
Wes Ferrell | 7 | 7 | 1933 | Cleveland Indians | |
Bob Lemon | 7 | 7 | 1949 | Cleveland Indians | |
Don Newcombe | 7 | 7 | 1955 | Brooklyn Dodgers | |
Don Drysdale | 7 | 7 | 1958 | Los Angeles Dodgers | |
Don Drysdale | 7 | 7 | 1965 | Los Angeles Dodgers | |
Earl Wilson | 7 | 7 | 1968 | Detroit Tigers | |
Mike Hampton | 7 | 7 | 2001 | Colorado Rockies | |
John Clarkson | 6 | 6 | 1887 | Chicago White Stockings | |
Bill Hutchison | 6 | 6 | 1894 | Chicago Colts | |
Hal Schumacher | 6 | 6 | 1934 | New York Giants | |
Wes Ferrell | 6 | 7 | 1935 | Boston Red Sox | |
Jack Harshman | 6 | 6 | 1956 | Chicago White Sox | |
Jack Harshman | 6 | 6 | 1958 | Baltimore Orioles | |
Earl Wilson | 6 | 6 | 1965 | Boston Red Sox | |
Earl Wilson | 6 | 7 | 1966 | Boston Red Sox/Detroit Tigers | |
Ferguson Jenkins | 6 | 6 | 1971 | Chicago Cubs | |
Sonny Siebert | 6 | 6 | 1971 | Boston Red Sox | |
Rick Wise | 6 | 6 | 1971 | Philadelphia Phillies | |
Carlos Zambrano | 6 | 6 | 2006 | Chicago Cubs |
Progression of the single-season record
Player | Home runs | Year | Team | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack Manning | 1 | 1876 | Boston Red Caps | Tied by Jim Devlin (1877), Terry Larkin (1877), and John Montgomery Ward (1878). | |
John Montgomery Ward | 2 | 1879 | Providence Grays | ||
Jim Whitney | 4 | 1882 | Boston Red Caps | Tied by John Clarkson (1885). | |
John Clarkson | 6 | 1887 | Chicago White Stockings | ||
Jack Stivetts | 7 | 1890 | St. Louis Browns | ||
Wes Ferrell | 9 | 1931 | Cleveland Indians |
Single-game
Player | Team | Home Runs | Date | Opposing team | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jim Tobin | Boston Braves | 3 | May 13, 1942 | Chicago Cubs |
Notes
- ^ A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or not played for a full season.
References
- Official Baseball Rule, 6.09 (d), page 61
- Official Baseball Rule, 7.05 (a), page 66
- ^ Lundman, Susan. "Definition of a Home Run". livestrong.com. Demand Media, Inc. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
- Paul Dickson (2011-06-13). The Dickson Baseball Dictionary (Third ed.). W. W. Norton. p. 426. ISBN 978-0-393-34008-2.
- "Major League Baseball Official Rules: 7.00 The Runner". mlb.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
- ^ Vincent, David (Spring 2012). "Pitchers Dig the Long Ball". The Baseball Research Journal. 41 (1). The Society for American Baseball Research: 7. ISBN 978-1-933599-32-8. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- Elman, Jake (June 21, 2010). "Which Pitchers Hit the Most Home Runs in MLB History?". Broadcasting. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ "Bob Lemon career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Warren Spahn career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Red Ruffing career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Earl Wilson career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Don Drysdale career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Jack Stivetts career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- Davids, L. Robert (1979). "Career Batting Records: From Great Hitting Pitchers" (PDF). SABR. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2017.
- Harrigan, Thomas. "This is each position's top home run hitter". MLB.com. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- Johnson, Frank (October 10, 2018). "Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Pitcher Hits Triple!". The Hardball Times. Retrieved June 3, 2022.
- ^ "Wes Ferrell career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Don Newcombe career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Mike Hampton career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Babe Ruth career home runs". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
- ^ "Jack Manning career home runs". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ "Jim Tobin career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "John Clarkson career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Bob Gibson career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Carlos Zambrano career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- "Walter Johnson career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Milt Pappas career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Dizzy Trout career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Jack Harshman career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Madison Bumgarner career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- "Cy Young career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Schoolboy Rowe career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Jim Kaat career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Jouett Meekin career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Hal Schumacher career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Lefty Grove career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Claude Passeau career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Joe Nuxhall career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Early Wynn career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Dick Donovan career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Don Cardwell career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Pedro Ramos career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- ^ "Rick Wise career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Gary Peters career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Madison Bumgarner becomes first pitcher to hit two home runs on Opening Day". ESPN.go.com. Associated Press. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- "Madison Bumgarner". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Shohei Ohtani". Fangraphs. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
- "Zack Greinke career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- Armstrong, Kevin (2 May 2019). "'One of the Rarest Things in Baseball': Noah Syndergaard Does It All". nytimes.com. NY Times. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- "Noah Syndergaard career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Michael Lorenzen career home runs". Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Statistics". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media, L.P. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- "Bill Hutchison career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
- "Ferguson Jenkins career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Sonny Siebert career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
- "Jim Devlin career home runs". baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- "Terry Larkin career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ "John Montgomery Ward career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- "Jim Whitney career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
Bibliography
- Official Baseball Rules (PDF). Major League Baseball. 2011. p. 130.
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