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List of Major League Baseball leaders in home runs by pitchers

(Redirected from List of Major League Baseball all-time leaders in home runs by pitchers)

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.[1][2] 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.[3][4] 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.[3][5]

A baseball player is shown on a baseball card.
Wes Ferrell holds both the career and season records for home runs by a pitcher.

Wes Ferrell once held the all-time Major League Baseball record for home runs hit while playing the position of pitcher. He hit 37 as a pitcher.[6] Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Lemon and Warren Spahn are tied for second with 35 career home runs apiece.[7][8][9] Red Ruffing, Earl Wilson, and Don Drysdale are the only other pitchers to hit at least 25 home runs.[10][11][12] Jack Stivetts hit a total of 35 home runs in his playing career, 21 as a pitcher.[13] Ferrell and Ruffing also rank among the top pitchers in batting average, hitting .280 and .269, respectively.[14]

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.[15] 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.[6][16] The record had previously been held by Stivetts, who had hit seven in 1890.[13] Since 1931, six different pitchers have hit seven home runs in a season: Ferrell, Lemon, Don Newcombe, Don Drysdale (twice), Wilson, and Mike Hampton.[17][8][11][12][18][19]

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.[20]

The first pitcher to officially hit a home run was Jack Manning, who accomplished the feat on August 3, 1876.[21] The most home runs by a pitcher in a single game is three, achieved by Jim Tobin on May 13, 1942.[22]

Career

All-time

Bob Lemon hit 35 of his 37 career home runs as a pitcher.
Warren Spahn hit all 35 of his career home runs as a pitcher.
Walter Johnson hit 23 of his 24 career home runs as a pitcher.
Key to symbols in player table
†
Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
BoldDenotes active player.[a]
Most home runs by a pitcher in a career, and their career total including home runs at other positions
PlayerHome runsCareer totalNotesRef
Wes Ferrell3738Hit one home run as a pinch hitter.[17]
Bob Lemon†3537Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter.[8]
Warren Spahn†3535[9]
Red Ruffing†3436Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter.[10]
Earl Wilson3335Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter.[11]
Don Drysdale†2929[12]
John Clarkson†2424[23]
Bob Gibson†2424[24]
Carlos Zambrano2424[25]
Walter Johnson†2324Hit one home run as a pinch hitter.[26]
Jack Stivetts2135Hit 11 home runs while playing various other positions and three as a pinch hitter.[13]
Milt Pappas2020[27]
Dizzy Trout2020[28]
Jack Harshman1921Hit two home runs as a first baseman.[29]
Madison Bumgarner1919[30]
Cy Young†1818[31]
Schoolboy Rowe1618Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter.[32]
Jim Tobin1617Hit one home run as a pinch hitter.[22]
Jim Kaat†1616[33]
Mike Hampton1616[19]
Jouett Meekin1515[34]
Hal Schumacher1515[35]
Lefty Grove†1515[36]
Claude Passeau1515[37]
Joe Nuxhall1515[38]
Early Wynn†1517Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter.[39]
Don Newcombe1515[18]
Dick Donovan1515[40]
Don Cardwell1515[41]
Pedro Ramos1515[42]
Rick Wise1515[43]
Gary Peters1519Hit four home runs as a pinch hitter[44]

Active

Madison Bumgarner leads active pitchers with 19 home runs.
Most home runs in a career by active pitchers, and their career total including home runs at other positions
PlayerHome runsCareer totalNotesRef
Madison Bumgarner1919Only pitcher to hit two home runs on Opening Day.[45][46]
Zack Greinke99Hit 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.[47]
Shohei Ohtani8170Has 170 career home runs, but 168 of them are as a designated hitter, and 2 are as a pinch hitter.[48]
Noah Syndergaard66First pitcher to hit a home run in a 1-0 complete game shutout since Bob Welch in 1983.[49][50]
Michael Lorenzen47Has 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.[51]
Stephen Strasburg44Hit a home run as one of his two third-inning hits against the Braves on July 18, 2019. He was only the fifth pitcher in the last 50 years to record two hits in the same MLB inning.[52]
  • Statistics obtained from MLB.com.[53] Updated through August 28, 2022.

Single-season

Jack Stivetts hit 7 home runs, as a pitcher, in 1890.
Mike Hampton hit 7 home runs in 2001 for the Colorado Rockies.
Key to symbols in player table
†
Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
BoldDenotes active player.[a]
Most home runs by a pitcher in a season, their total home runs, year, and team
PlayerHome runsSeason totalYearTeamRef
Wes Ferrell991931Cleveland Indians[17]
Jack Stivetts771890St. Louis Browns[13]
Wes Ferrell771933Cleveland Indians[17]
Bob Lemon†771949Cleveland Indians[8]
Don Newcombe771955Brooklyn Dodgers[18]
Don Drysdale†771958Los Angeles Dodgers[12]
Don Drysdale†771965Los Angeles Dodgers[12]
Earl Wilson771968Detroit Tigers[11]
Mike Hampton772001Colorado Rockies[19]
John Clarkson†661887Chicago White Stockings[23]
Bill Hutchison661894Chicago Colts[54]
Hal Schumacher661934New York Giants[35]
Wes Ferrell671935Boston Red Sox[17]
Jack Harshman661956Chicago White Sox[29]
Jack Harshman661958Baltimore Orioles[29]
Earl Wilson661965Boston Red Sox[11]
Earl Wilson671966Boston Red Sox/Detroit Tigers[11]
Ferguson Jenkins†661971Chicago Cubs[55]
Sonny Siebert661971Boston Red Sox[56]
Rick Wise661971Philadelphia Phillies[43]
Carlos Zambrano662006Chicago Cubs[25]

Progression of the single-season record

John Clarkson tied the single-season record in 1885 with four, then broke it by hitting six in 1887.
Progression of the single-season home run record by a pitcher, their home run total, year, and team
PlayerHome runsYearTeamNotesRef
Jack Manning11876Boston Red CapsTied by Jim Devlin (1877),[57] Terry Larkin (1877),[58] and John Montgomery Ward (1878).[59][21]
John Montgomery Ward†21879Providence Grays[59]
Jim Whitney41882Boston Red CapsTied by John Clarkson (1885).[23][60]
John Clarkson†61887Chicago White Stockings[23]
Jack Stivetts71890St. Louis Browns[13]
Wes Ferrell91931Cleveland Indians[17]

Single-game

Most home runs by a pitcher in a game, team, home runs, date of game, and opposing team
PlayerTeamHome RunsDateOpposing teamRef
Jim TobinBoston Braves3May 13, 1942Chicago Cubs[22]

Notes

References

Bibliography

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