Home run in a career records by Baseball Almanac, a record book full of baseball milestones for home runs — including career home run records, positional career home run records and Opening Day home run records.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Many totals do not match-up exactly with career totals when positional records are viewed. This is because the home run MUST be hit while the player is at that position. Example: Ryne Sandberg finished his Major League career with two-hundred eighty-two home runs. However, five of his home runs were hit while he was playing shortstop so his record for career home runs by a second baseman is two-hundred seventy-seven. Research by Baseball Almanac.
"Growing up as a kid, I always sat down in front of the TV to watch him (Barry Bonds) hit a home run. That was it. I didn't care about a single or walk or double or triple. I wanted to see a homer. I wasn't the only kid or even adult who felt like that. He might've been the only person of that era who made a base hit seem pretty boring. ." - McCutchen, Andrew. Giants' Andrew McCutchen recalls Barry Bonds' home run pursuits, Shea, John. San Francisco Gate Writer. 10 August 2018.
Home Run RecordsCareer Home Run Records |
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Record | LG | Name(s) | Team(s) | Data | |
Most Career Home Runs In A Career | Top 1,000 |
AL | Babe Ruth | Boston | 49 | 708 |
New York | 659 | ||||
NL | Barry Bonds | Pittsburgh | 176 | 762 | |
San Francisco | 586 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs By A Catcher |
AL | Carlton Fisk | Boston | 157 | 351 |
Chicago | 194 | ||||
NL | Mike Piazza | Los Angeles | 176 | 396 | |
Florida | 0 | ||||
New York | 200 | ||||
San Diego | 20 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs |
AL | David Ortiz | Minnesota | 40 | 483 |
Boston | 443 | ||||
NL | Marcell Ozuna | Miami | 0 | 65 | |
St. Louis | 0 | ||||
Atlanta | 65 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs By A First Baseman |
AL | Lou Gehrig | New York | 493 | 493 |
NL | Willie McCovey | San Francisco | 390 | 439 | |
San Diego | 49 | ||||
ML | Mark McGwire | Oakland [AL] | 349 | 566 | |
St. Louis [NL] | 217 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs Bold = League Records |
AL | Rickey Henderson | Oakland | 43 | 73 |
New York | 24 | ||||
Toronto | 1 | ||||
Anaheim | 1 | ||||
Seattle | 3 | ||||
Boston | 1 | ||||
NL | Craig Biggio | Houston | 53 | 53 | |
ML | Rickey Henderson | Oakland [AL] | 43 | 81 | |
New York [AL] | 24 | ||||
Toronto [AL] | 1 | ||||
Anaheim [AL] | 1 | ||||
Seattle [AL] | 3 | ||||
Boston [AL] | 1 | ||||
New York [NL] | 2 | ||||
San Diego [NL] | 5 | ||||
Los Angeles [NL] | 1 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs By A Lefthander |
AL | Babe Ruth | Boston | 49 | 708 |
New York | 659 | ||||
NL | Barry Bonds | Pittsburgh | 176 | 762 | |
San Francisco | 586 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs (Bold=League Leaders) |
AL | Gates Brown | Detroit | 16 | 16 |
NL | Jerry Lynch | Cincinnati | 11 | 18 | |
Pittsburgh | 7 | ||||
ML | Matt Stairs | Oakland [AL] | 4 | 22 | |
Milwaukee [NL] | 1 | ||||
Pittsburgh [NL] | 2 | ||||
Kansas City [AL] | 2 | ||||
Detroit [AL] | 0 | ||||
Toronto [AL] | 2 | ||||
Philadelphia [NL] | 7 | ||||
San Diego [NL] | 4 | ||||
Cliff Johnson | New York [AL] | 5 | 17 | ||
Cleveland [AL] | 1 | ||||
Oakland [AL] | 1 | ||||
Toronto [AL] | 0 | ||||
Houston [NL] | 7 | ||||
Chicago [NL] | 3 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs By A Pitcher |
AL | Wes Ferrell | Cleveland | 36 | |
Boston | |||||
Washington | |||||
New York | |||||
NL | Warren Spahn | Boston | 35 | ||
Milwaukee | |||||
New York | |||||
San Francisco | |||||
ML | Wes Ferrell | Cleveland [AL] | 36 | 37 | |
Boston [AL] | |||||
Washington [AL] | |||||
New York [AL] | |||||
Boston [NL] | 1 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs By A Righthander |
AL | Alex Rodriguez | Seattle | 189 | 696 |
Texas | 156 | ||||
New York | 351 | ||||
NL | Hank Aaron | Milwaukee | 398 | 733 | |
Atlanta | 335 | ||||
ML | Hank Aaron | Milwaukee [NL] | 398 | 755 | |
Atlanta [NL] | 335 | ||||
Milwaukee [AL] | 22 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs By A Second Baseman |
AL | Robinson Cano | New York | 196 | 296 |
Seattle | 100 | ||||
NL | Jeff Kent | New York | 56 | 349 | |
San Francisco | 171 | ||||
Houston | 49 | ||||
Los Angeles | 73 | ||||
ML | Jeff Kent | Toronto [AL] | 1 | 351 | |
New York [NL] | 56 | ||||
Cleveland [AL] | 1 | ||||
San Francisco [NL] | 171 | ||||
Houston [NL] | 49 | ||||
Los Angeles [NL] | 73 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs By A Shortstop |
AL | Cal Ripken, Jr. | Baltimore | 345 | 345 |
NL | Ernie Banks | Chicago | 277 | 277 | |
Most Career Home Runs By A Switch Hitter |
AL | Mickey Mantle | New York | 536 | 536 |
NL | Chipper Jones | Atlanta | 468 | 468 | |
Most Career Home Runs By A Third Baseman |
AL | Graig Nettles | Minnesota | 319 | |
Cleveland | |||||
New York | |||||
NL | Mike Schmidt | Philadelphia | 509 | ||
Most Career Home Runs By An Outfielder |
AL | Babe Ruth | Boston | 686 | |
New York | |||||
NL | Barry Bonds | Pittsburgh | 748 | ||
San Francisco | |||||
Most Career Home Runs In The Extra Innings |
AL | Babe Ruth | Boston | 16 | |
New York | |||||
NL | Willie Mays | New York | 22 | ||
San Francisco | |||||
New York | |||||
Most Career Home Runs On Opening Day |
AL | Ken Griffey, Jr. | Seattle | 8 | 8 |
NL | Eddie Mathews | Milwaukee | 7 | 7 | |
Willie Mays | New York | 5 | 7 | ||
San Francisco | 2 | ||||
ML | Adam Dunn | Cincinnati [NL] | 6 | 8 | |
Chicago [AL] | 2 | ||||
Frank Robinson | Baltimore [AL] | 3 | 8 | ||
California [AL] | 1 | ||||
Cleveland [AL] | 1 | ||||
Cincinnati [NL] | 3 | ||||
Most Career Home Runs (Bold = League Leaders) |
AL | Alex Rodriguez | Seattle | 6 | 07-27-1996 |
Texas | 07-27-2001 | ||||
Texas | 07-27-2002 | ||||
Texas | 07-27-2002 | ||||
New York | 07-27-2004 | ||||
New York | 07-27-2015 | ||||
Al Simmons | Philadelphia | 5 | 05-22-1926 | ||
Philadelphia | 05-22-1929 | ||||
Philadelphia | 05-22-1930 | ||||
Philadelphia | 05-22-1932 | ||||
Chicago | 05-22-1935 | ||||
Mike Trout | Los Angeles | 5 | 08-07-2012 | ||
Los Angeles | 08-07-2013 | ||||
Los Angeles | 08-07-2015 | ||||
Los Angeles | 08-07-2017 | ||||
Los Angeles | 08-07-2020 | ||||
NL | Mark Reynolds | Arizona | 6 | 08-03-2009 | |
Arizona | 08-03-2009 | ||||
Arizona | 08-03-2010 | ||||
Milwaukee | 08-03-2014 | ||||
Colorado | 08-03-2016 | ||||
Colorado | 08-03-2017 | ||||
Todd Helton | Colorado | 5 | 08-20-1998 | ||
Colorado | 08-20-2000 | ||||
Colorado | 08-20-2002 | ||||
Colorado | 08-20-2004 | ||||
Colorado | 08-20-2011 | ||||
Chipper Jones | Atlanta | 5 | 04-24-1996 | ||
Atlanta | 04-24-2001 | ||||
Atlanta | 04-24-2001 | ||||
Atlanta | 04-24-2008 | ||||
Atlanta | 04-24-2012 | ||||
Derrek Lee | Florida | 5 | 09-06-2001 | ||
Florida | 09-06-2003 | ||||
Chicago | 09-06-2004 | ||||
Chicago | 09-06-2005 | ||||
Chicago | 09-06-2006 | ||||
Most Different Ballparks With A Home Run Hit |
AL | Alex Rodriguez | Seattle | 32 | |
Texas | |||||
New York | |||||
NL | Mike Piazza | Los Angeles | 39 | ||
Florida | |||||
New York | |||||
ML | Sammy Sosa | Texas [AL] | 45 | ||
Chicago [AL] | |||||
Chicago [NL] | |||||
Baltimore [AL] | |||||
Texas [AL] | |||||
Record | LG | Name(s) | Team | Data | |
Career Home Run Records | Research by Baseball Almanac |
Babe Ruth hit the most career home runs for the same American League team by belting six-hundred fifty-nine home runs with the New York Yankees during his time in pinstripes (1920 through 1934).
Hank Aaron hit the most career home runs for the same National League team by hammering seven-hundred thirty-three home runs with the Braves organization during his career (1954 through 1974).
Did you know that the most home runs hit during a career by a designated hitter was once held by Harold Baines with two-hundred twenty-five, until Edgar Martinez passed him in 2004, and finished his career with two-hundred forty-three? Three years later (2007), Frank Thomas tied Martinez and the duo shared the prestigous record — all three of these legends are now members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but the current mark (483 HRs) is now held by David Ortiz.