Chris Davis – newest member of the 50-Homer Club.
Today (September 13, 2013), the Orioless Chris Davis notched MLB’s 43rd fifty-home run season, becoming the 27th player to reach that mark. BBRT did a blog post focused on 50-homer seasons earlier this month (to commemorate Mickey Mantle’s 50th dinger of the 1961 season. With Davis now in the Fifty-Homer Club, I’ll update that post, add some new facts about 50-homer seasons (like fewest strikeouts and most stolen bases in a 50-homer campaign) and add the full list of 50+ home run seasons.
- The first 50-homer season belongs, as you might expect, to Babe Ruth (54 homers in 1920).
- In hitting 54 HRs in 1920, Babe Ruth broke his own MLB record of 29 HRs, thus becoming the first player to reach 30 & 40 HRs as well. Ruth also outhomered every MLB team except the NL’s Phillies, who hit 64 that year.
- Hack Wilson, with 56 HRs in 1930, became the second member (and first NL member) of the 50-homer club. (Before Wilson’s season, Ruth also topped 50 dingers in 1921, 1927 and 1928).
- Of the 27 players to notch in the Fifty-homer Club, there have been 15 right-handed hitters, 11 left-handers and one switch hitter)
- Mickey Mantle is the only switch-hitter to reach 50-homers in a season.
- The Yankees have had the most 50-homer players (four): Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Alex Rodriguez all reached the mark while in pinstripes.
- Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle are the only two teammates to reach 50 home runs in the same season – 1961, Maris 61 and Mantle 54.
- Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire each achieved a record four 50-homer seasons.
- Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire share the record for consecutive 50-homer campaigns at four.
- The record for 50-homer hitters in a single season is four (1998 & 2001): 1998 – Greg Vaughn (50), Ken Griffey Jr. (56), Sammy Sosa (66), Mark McGwire (70); 2001– Alex Rodriguez (50), Louis Gonzalez (57); Sammy Sosa (64); Barry Bonds (73).
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Mickey Mantle – all over the 50-Homer Club – only switch hitter to reach 50 HRs; only player with 50 homers in Triple Crown year; half of only pair of teammates to reach 50 HRs in same season (with Roger Maris, 1961); one of record four Yankees in 50-Homer Club.
Willie Mays is the only player to hit 50 homers for the same franchise in two different cities – 51 HRs for the New York Giants in 1955 and 52 for the San Francisco Giants in 1965).
- Willie Mays also holds the mark for seasons (11 including each 50-homer year) between 50-homer campaigns (as well, for the length of time between a first and last 50-homer season.)
- Mark McGwire is the only player to be traded in the course of a 50-homer season. In 1997, McGwire finished July as an Oakland A, with 34 homers and 81 RBI. On July 31, he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he played in 51 more games, rapping another 24 homers and driving in 42.
- The 50-homer club boasts only one father/son combination: Cecil Fielder (51 HRs for the Tigers in 1990) and Prince Fielder (50 HRs for the Brewers in 2007).
- The youngest player to record a 50-homer club season is Prince Fielder (23), the oldest, Barry Bonds (37).
- Only one player with fifty-homer seasons has no other season of at least 30 homers. Brady Anderson’s (50 HRs in 1996) second-highest HR total in his 15-year career was 24 HRs in 1999. Anderson sandwiched his 50-homer campaign between seasons of 16 HRs (1995) and 18 HRs (1997).
- Only three players have hit fifty homers for more than one team: Jimmie Foxx (Philadelphia Athletics 1932, Boston Red Sox 1938); Mark McGwire (Oakland A’s 1996, Oakland A’s/St. Louis Cardinals 1997, St. Louis Cardinals 1998, 1999); Alex Rodriguez (Texas Rangers 2001, 2002 and New York Yankees 2007).
- Mark McGwire is the only player to have a fifty-homer season in both the NL and AL.
- Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds are the only players to reach 70 homers in a season; McGwire 70 in 1998, Bonds 73 in 2001.
- Sammy Sosa is the only player to top 60 home runs in a season three times and, ironically, did not lead his league in any of those seasons: 1998 – Sosa 66 HRs/McGwire 70; 1999 – Sosa 63/McGwire 65; 2001 – Sosa 64/Bonds 73.
- A player has hit fifty or more homers and not led his league ten times: Jimmie Foxx (1938); Mickey Mantle (1961); Brady Anderson (1996); Mark McGwire (1997, McGwire led all of baseball with 58 HRs, but was traded from AL to NL during the season and led neither league); Sammy Sosa (1998, 1999, 2001); Greg Vaughn (1998); Louis Gonzalez (2001); Jim Thome (2002).
- Only one 50-homer season has been part of a Triple Crown year – Mickey Mantle (1956) .353-52-130.
- The most stolen bases in a 50-homer season is 24, by Willie Mays (1955) and Alex Rodriguez (2007). Only four players have stolen 20 bases in a 50-season: Mays, Rodriguez, Brady Anderson and Ken Griffey, Jr. (Babe Ruth came close, swiping 17 bags in 1921, when he hit 59 long balls.)
- The most runs scored in a 50-homer season is 177 (Babe Ruth, 1921); the most RBI is 191 (Hack Wilson, 1930 – the all-time, MLB single-season high.)
- The fewest runs scored in a 50-homer season is 86 (Mark McGwire, 1997); the most runs scored is 177 (Babe Ruth, 1921).
- The highest batting average in a 50-homer campaign is .378 (Babe Ruth, 1921); the lowest average is .260 (Jose Bautista, 2010). Only three hitters have hit under .270 while bashing fifty dingers: Bautista, Roger Maris (.269, 1961) and Andruw Jones (.263, 2005).
- Johnny Mize holds the record for the fewest strikeouts in a 50-homer season, 42 in 1947.
- Since 1920 (first 50-HR season), the longest period without a 50-HR hitter has been 12 seasons (1977-89); the longest streak of consecutive seasons with a 50-HR player was eight (1995-2002)
- In the seventy-six seasons since the first 50-homer season (1920-95), there were a total of nineteen 50-homer seasons. Between 1996-2013 (18 seasons) there were twenty-three 50-homer campaigns; and from 1997-2006 (ten seasons), there were eighteen 50-homer campaigns.
50-Homer Club (Career total in parens- as of Sept. 13, 2013), active players in Bold/Blue
Year HRs
1920 54 Babe Ruth, Yankees (714)
1921 59 Babe Ruth, Yankees
1927 60 Babe Ruth, Yankees
1928 54 Babe Ruth, Yankees
1930 56 Hack Wilson, Cubs (244)
1932 58 Jimmie Foxx, Athletics, Phil. (534)
1938 50 Jimmie Foxx, Red Sox
1938 58 Hank Greenberg, Tigers (331)
1947 51 Johnny Mize, Giants, NY (359)
1947 51 Ralph Kiner, Pirates (369)
1949 54 Ralph Kiner, Pirates
1955 51 Willie Mays, Giants, NY (660)
1956 52 Mickey Mantle, Yankees (536)
1961 54 Mickey Mantle, Yankees
1961 61 Roger Maris, Yankees (275)
1965 52 Willie Mays, Giants, SF
1977 52 George Foster, Reds (348)
1990 51 Cecil Fielder, Tigers (319)
1995 50 Albert Belle, Indians (381)
1996 50 Brady Anderson, Orioles (210)
1996 52 Mark McGwire, Athletics, Oak. (583)
1997 56 Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners (630)
1997 58 Mark McGwire, Athletics, Oak. & Cardinals
1998 50 Greg Vaughn, Padres (355)
1998 56 Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners
1998 66 Sammy Sosa, Cubs (609)
1998 70 Mark McGwire, Cardinals
1999 63 Sammy Sosa, Cubs
1999 65 Mark McGwire, Cardinals
2000 50 Sammy Sosa, Cubs
2001 52 Alex Rodriguez, Rangers (653)
2001 57 Luis Gonzalez, Diamondbacks (354)
2001 64 Sammy Sosa, Cubs
2001 73 Barry Bonds, Giants, SF (762)
2002 52 Jim Thome, Indians (611)
2002 57 Alex Rodriguez, Rangers
2005 51 Andruw Jones, Braves, ATL (433)*
2006 58 Ryan Howard, Phillies (311)
2006 54 David Ortiz, Red Sox (428)
2007 54 Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
2007 50 Prince Fielder, Brewers (284)
2010 54 José Bautista, Blue Jays (211)
2013 50?? Chris Davis, Orioles (127)
*2013 Playing in Japan
