This page details statistics, records, and other achievements pertaining to

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...

. At the time in which Babe Ruth played, some of baseball's modern awards did not exist. The Division Series and League Championship Series did not exist. The MLB All-Star Game did not exist until 1933, late in Ruth's career. At the time of his retirement, Ruth held many of baseball's most esteemed records, including the career records for home runs (714 — since broken), slugging percentage (0.690),

runs batted in A run batted in (RBI; plural RBIs ) is a statistic in baseball and softball that credits a batter for making a play that allows a run to be scored (except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play). For example, if the b ...

(2,213 — since broken),

bases on balls A base on balls (BB), also known as a walk, occurs in baseball when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls '' balls'', and is in turn awarded first base without the possibility of being called out. The base on balls is defined in Sec ...

(2,062 — since broken) and on-base plus slugging (1.164). At the time of his retirement, Ruth held many more records than are listed here.

Achievements

* First batter to hit 30 home runs in one season (during the 1920 season) * First batter to hit 40 home runs in one season (during the 1920 season) * First batter to hit 50 home runs in a season (54 in 1920). * First batter to hit 60 homers in a season (60 in 1927). * First batter to hit 500 homers in a career (August 11, 1929). * 2× All-Star (

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

, 1934) * 7×

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the Worl ...

champion (, , , , , , ) * 1923

AL MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League. Since 1931, it has been awarded by the Baseball Writers' ...

* 12× AL home run champion (1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931) * 6× AL RBI champion (1919, 1920, 1921, 1923, 1926, 1928) * AL batting champion (1924) * AL ERA champion (1916) *Pitched a combined

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter is a game in which a team was not able to record a hit. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in at least nine innings recorded no hits. A pitcher wh ...

on June 23, 1917 * New York Yankees #3 retired * Major League Baseball All-Century Team * Major League Baseball All-Time Team * National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 1936 (inaugural) * Ranked #1 on ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' list of "Baseball's 100 Greatest Players" (1998) * Ranked #2 by ''ESPN SportsCenturys Top North American Athletes of the 20th Century * Ranked #1 by ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by T ...

'' in 2012 as the Greatest

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

Athlete of all time. * Named the DHL Hometown Heroes greatest New York Yankee ever in 2006..

All-time ranks

* 1st on all-time slugging % with 0.690 * 1st on all-time

OPS In ancient Roman religion, Ops or ''Opis'' (Latin: "Plenty") was a fertility deity and earth goddess of Sabine origin. Her equivalent in Greek mythology was Rhea. Iconography In Ops' statues and coins, she is figured sitting down, as Chthon ...

with 1.164 * 1st on all-time OPS+ with 206 * 2nd on all-time on-base % list with .474 * 2nd on all-time At bats per home run list with 11.76 * 3rd on all-time RBI list with 2,213 * 3rd on all-time

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

list with 714 * 3rd on all-time

list with 2,062 * 4th on all-time runs list with 2,174 (Tied with Hank Aaron) * 7th on all-time total bases list with 5,793 * 9th on all-time batting average list with .342 (Tied with Dan Brothers)

Major League records

Regular season

Slugging percentage, career: 0.690 Slugging percentage, season: 0.847 (1920) *Broken by Barry Bonds, 0.863 (2001) On-base percentage, career: .474 *Broken by

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 193 ...

in the 1946 season (finished career with .482) On-base plus slugging, career: 1.164 On-base plus slugging, season: 1.379 (1920) *Broken by Barry Bonds, 1.381 (2002) Home runs, career: 714 (708 in AL, 6 in NL) *Broken by Hank Aaron on April 8, 1974 Home runs, season: 60 (1927) *Broken by Roger Maris on October 1, 1961 At bats per home run, career: 11.76 *Broken by Mark McGwire in 1998 (finished career with 10.61) At bats per home run, season: 8.48 (1920) *Broken by Mark McGwire, 8.13 (1996) Most times hitting two or more home runs in a game, career: 72 (71 in AL, 1 in NL) Longest Home run: 575 feet (July 18, 1921) Runs batted in, career: 2,213 (2,201 in AL, 12 in NL) *Broken by Hank Aaron on May 10, 1975 Bases on balls, career: 2,062 (2,042 in AL, 20 in NL) *Broken by

Rickey Henderson Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson (born December 25, 1958) is an American retired professional baseball left fielder who played his 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with hi ...

on April 25, 2001 No-hitter: Boston Red Sox 4, Washington Senators 0, June 23, 1917 *First game of a doubleheader. Ruth and his catcher,

Pinch Thomas Chester David "Pinch" Thomas (January 24, 1888 – December 24, 1953) was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1912 through 1921 for the Boston Red Sox (1912–17) and Cleveland Indians (1918–21) ...

, were ejected for arguing balls and strikes after walking the first batter, who was then caught stealing. Ernie Shore came on in relief and retired the next 26 in a row for a no-hitter, completely in relief. Catcher Sam Agnew caught for Shore. Lowest ratio of

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...

per nine innings pitched for a left-handed pitcher: 7.1774 *Broken by Sandy Koufax, 6.7916 Highest Winning Percentage for a left-handed pitcher: 67.14% *Broken by Lefty Grove, 68.03%

American League records

Regular season

Slugging percentage

Slugging percentage, career: 0.673 Slugging percentage, season: 0.847 (1920) Slugging percentage by a lefthander, season: 0.847 (1920) Seasons leading the league in slugging percentage: 13 (1918–1924, 1926–1931)

Runs

Runs, season: 177 (152 games, 1921) Runs by a lefthander, season: 177 (152 games, 1921) Seasons leading the league in runs: 8 (1919–1921, 1923, 1924, 1926–1928) Consecutive seasons leading the league in runs: Three, ''twice'' *Three (1919–1921) *Three (1926–1928) *Also achieved by

Ty Cobb Tyrus Raymond Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), nicknamed "the Georgia Peach", was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) center fielder. He was born in rural Narrows, Georgia. Cobb spent 22 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, the l ...

(1909–1911),

Eddie Collins Edward Trowbridge Collins Sr. (May 2, 1887 – March 25, 1951), nicknamed "Cocky", was an American professional baseball player, manager and executive. He played as a second baseman in Major League Baseball from to for the Philadelphia Athlet ...

(1912–1914),

(1940–1942), and

Mickey Mantle Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Commerce Comet" and "the Mick", was an American professional baseball player. Mantle played his entire Major League Baseball (MLB) career (1951–1968) with the New York ...

(1956–1958) Seasons with 150 or more runs: 6 (1920, 1921, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1930)

Doubles

Doubles by pitcher, game: 3, at Washington Senators, May 9, 1918 (20 innings)

Home runs

Home runs, career: 714 Home runs with one club, career: 659, New York Yankees (1920–1934) Home runs by lefthander, career: 714 Home runs at home by lefthander, season: 32 (1921) *Tied by Ken Williams in 1922 Home runs on road, season: 32 (1927) Home runs on road by lefthander, season: 32 (1927) Seasons hitting home runs in all parks, career: 11 (1919–1921, 1923, 1924, 1926–1931) Seasons with 50 or more home runs: 4 (1920, 1921, 1927, 1928) Consecutive seasons with 50 or more home runs: Two, ''twice'' *Two (1920–1921) *Two (1927–1928) *Tied by

Ken Griffey Jr. George Kenneth Griffey Jr. (born November 21, 1969), nicknamed "Junior" and "the Kid", is an American former professional baseball outfielder who played 22 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). He spent most of his career with the Seattle M ...

(1997–1998) and Alex Rodriguez (2001–2002) Seasons with 40 or more home runs: 11 (1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926–1932) Consecutive seasons with 40 or more home runs: 7 (1926–1932) Seasons with 30 or more home runs: 13 (1920–1924, 1926–1933) Seasons with 20 or more home runs: 16 (1919–1934) *Tied by

(1939–1942, 1946–1951, 1954–1958, 1960) and

Reggie Jackson Reginald Martinez Jackson (born May 18, 1946) is an American former professional baseball right fielder who played 21 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City / Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Cali ...

(1968–1980, 1982, 1984, 1985) Consecutive seasons with 20 or more home runs: 16 (1919–1934) Home runs, two consecutive seasons: 114 (60 in 1927, 54 in 1928) Home runs by lefthander, two consecutive seasons: 114 (60 in 1927, 54 in 1928) Home runs by lefthander, one month: 17 (September 1927) Home runs in June: 15 (1930) *Tied by Bob Johnson in 1934 and Roger Maris in 1961 Home runs through July 31: 41 (1928) *Tied by Jimmie Foxx in 1932 Home runs in September: 17 (1927) *Tied by

Albert Belle Albert Jojuan Belle (born August 25, 1966), known until 1990 as Joey Belle, is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1989 to 2000, most notably for the Cleveland Indians. Known for his fierce, competitive temperame ...

in 1995 Home runs through September 30: 60 (1927) *Tied by Roger Maris in 1961 Most times hitting three home runs in a doubleheader, career (homering in both games): 7 (1920, 1922, 1926, 1927, 1930, 1933 ) Most times hitting two or more home runs in a game, career: 71 Home runs, two consecutive days: 6, May 21, 1930—May 22, 1930 *Ruth played four games over the two-day stretch and did not homer in one of the games. *Tied by Tony Lazzeri (May 23–24, 1936)

Grand slams

Grand slams, two consecutive games (homering in each game): 2, ''twice'' *2, September 27, 1927—September 29, 1927 *2, August 6, 1929 (second game)—August 7, 1929 (first game) *Several other players have achieved this once; only Ruth has achieved it twice.

Total bases

Total bases, season: 457 (152 games in 1921) Total bases by lefthander, season: 457 (152 games in 1921) Seasons leading the league in total bases: 6 (1919, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1928) *Tied with

(1907–1909, 1911, 1915, 1917) and

(1939, 1942, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1951) Total bases by pitcher, game: 10, at Washington Senators, May 9, 1918 (10 innings) *1 single, 3 doubles, 1 triple *Tied with

Snake Wiltse Lewis DeWitt "Snake" Wiltse (December 5, 1871 – August 25, 1928) was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Highlanders from 1901 to 1903. His brother was ...

, Red Ruffing and Jack Harshman

Extra-base hits

Extra-base hits, career: 1,350 (506 doubles, 136 triples, 708 HR) Extra-base hits, season: 119 (1921) *44 doubles, 16 triples, 59 HR Extra-base hits by lefthander, season: 119 (1921) *44 doubles, 16 triples, 59 HR Seasons leading the league in extra-base hits: 7 (1918–1921, 1923, 1924, 1928) Consecutive seasons leading the league in extra-base hits: 4 (1918–1921) Extra-base hits by pitcher, game: 4, at Washington Senators, May 9, 1918, (10 innings) *3 doubles, 1 triple *Tied with

, who achieved the feat in 9 inning

Runs batted in

Runs batted in, career: 2,202 Seasons leading the league in runs batted in: 6 (1919–1921, 1923, 1926, 1928) *Ruth tied for the league lead in 1928 Consecutive seasons leading the league in runs batted in: 3 (1919–1921) *Tied with

(1907–1909) and

Cecil Fielder Cecil Grant Fielder (; born September 21, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player in Major League Baseball (MLB). Fielder was a power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UN ...

(1990–1992) Consecutive seasons with 150 or more runs batted in: 3 (1929–1931) Seasons with 100 or more runs batted in: 13 (1919–1921, 1923, 1924, 1926–1933) *Broken by Alex Rodriguez in 2010

Bases on balls

Bases on balls, career: 2,042 Bases on balls, season: 170 (152 games in 1923) Bases on balls by lefthander, season: 170 (152 games in 1923) Seasons leading the league in bases on balls: 11 (1920, 1921, 1923, 1924, 1926–1928, 1930–1933) Consecutive seasons leading the league in bases on balls: 4 (1930–1933) *Tied by

(1946–1949) Seasons with 100 or more bases on balls: 13 (1919–1921, 1923, 1924, 1926–1928, 1930–1934)

Set with Lou Gehrig

Two teammates with 40 or more home runs, season: ''Thrice'' *1927 (Ruth 60,

Lou Gehrig Henry Louis Gehrig (born Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig ; June 19, 1903June 2, 1941) was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1923–1939). Gehrig was renowned f ...

47) *1930 (Ruth 49, Gehrig 41) *1931 (Ruth 46, Gehrig 46) *Achieved by several other pairs of teammates since. Ruth and Gehrig were the first, and the only to achieve it three times. Clubs with three consecutive home runs in inning: ''Twice'' *4th inning, at Philadelphia Athletics, first game, September 10, 1925 (

Bob Meusel Robert William Meusel (July 19, 1896 – November 28, 1977) was an American baseball left and right fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for eleven seasons from 1920 through 1930, all but the last for the New York Yankees. He was best ...

, Ruth, Gehrig) *7th inning, at Chicago White Sox, May 4, 1929 (Ruth, Gehrig, Meusel)

Shutouts

Shutouts won or tied by lefthander, season: 9 (1916) *Tied by Ron Guidry in 1978

All-Star Game records

Plate appearances, inning: 2, 5th inning, July 10, 1934 *Tied with

(5th inning, July 10, 1934) and Jim Rice (3rd inning, July 6, 1983) First home run in All-Star Game history: 1 on, off

Bill Hallahan William Anthony Hallahan (August 4, 1902 – July 8, 1981) was an American left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball during the 1920s and 1930s. Nicknamed "Wild Bill" because of his lack of control on the mound—he twice led the National Leag ...

, 3rd inning, July 6, 1933

World Series records

:''At the time of his retirement, Ruth held the World Series career records for series played (10), runs (37), home runs (15), total bases (96), slugging percentage (0.744), extra-base hits (22), bases on balls (33), strikeouts (30), and earned run average (0.87).'' Most positions played, career: 4 (pitcher, left field, right field, first base) *Tied by

Jackie Robinson Jack Roosevelt Robinson (January 31, 1919 – October 24, 1972) was an American professional baseball player who became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line ...

(1B, 2B, LF, 3B), Elston Howard (LF, RF, 1B, C),

Tony Kubek Anthony Christopher Kubek (born October 12, 1935) is an American former professional baseball player and television broadcaster. During his nine-year playing career with the New York Yankees, Kubek played in six World Series in the late 1950s ...

(LF, 3B, CF, SS), and Pete Rose (RF, LF, 3B, 1B) Series batting .300 or over: 6 (1921, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1932) Runs, 4-game series: 9 (1928) *Tied by

(1932) Runs, game: 4, at St. Louis Cardinals, October 6, 1926 *Achieved by several other players since; Ruth was the first to achieve this. Consecutive games scoring one or more runs, career: 9 (1927 , 1928 , 1932 ) Hits, 4-game series: 10 (1928) Most times reached first base safely, game (batting 1.000): 5, ''twice'' *5, at St. Louis Cardinals, October 6, 1926 (3 HR, 2 BB) *5, vs. St. Louis Cardinals, October 10, 1926 (1 HR, 4 BB) *Achieved by several players since then; only Ruth has achieved it twice. Home runs, 7-game series: 4 (1926) *Tied by Duke Snider (1952, 1956),

Hank Bauer Henry Albert Bauer (July 31, 1922 – February 9, 2007) was an American right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He played with the New York Yankees (–) and Kansas City Athletics (–); he batted and threw right-handed. He served as ...

(1958), Gene Tenace (1972) and Barry Bonds (2002) Series with three or more home runs: 3 (1923 , 1926 , 1928 ) *Tied by

(1956 , 1960 , 1964 ) Series with two or more home runs in a game: 4 (1923, 1926, 1928, 1932) *2 HR in 1 game twice, 3 HR in 1 game twice Most home runs, three consecutive series (three consecutive years): 9 (1926 , 1927 , 1928 ) Home runs, game: 3, ''twice'' *3, at St. Louis Cardinals, October 6, 1926 (2 consecutive) *3, at St. Louis Cardinals, October 9, 1928 (2 consecutive) *Ruth is the only player to achieve this twice. *Tied by

(October 18, 1977 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers — each on 1st pitch),

Albert Pujols José Alberto Pujols Alcántara () (); born January 16, 1980) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and third baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "The Machine ...

(October 22, 2011 at Texas Rangers), and Pablo Sandoval (October 24, 2012 vs. Detroit Tigers) *Ruth also homered twice in a World Series game on two occasions (October 11, 1923 and October 1, 1932) Home runs, two consecutive innings: 2, ''twice'' *2, 4th and 5th innings, at New York Giants, October 11, 1923 *2, 7th and 8th innings, at St. Louis Cardinals, October 9, 1928 *Ruth was the first to achieve this. It was next achieved by Ted Kluszewski on October 1, 1959. *Several other players have achieved this since; only Ruth has achieved it twice. Total bases, 4-game series: 22 (1928) Total bases, game: 12, ''twice'' *12, at St. Louis Cardinals, October 6, 1926 (3 HR) *12, at St. Louis Cardinals, October 9, 1928 (3 HR) *Also achieved by

on October 18, 1977 (3 HR vs. Los Angeles Dodgers) *Broken by

on October 22, 2011 (3 HR, 2 singles at Texas Rangers) Extra-base hits, 4-game series: 6 (1928) Bases on balls, game: 4, vs. St. Louis Cardinals, October 10, 1926 *Tied with

Fred Clarke Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 – August 14, 1960) was an American Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. A Hall of Famer, Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pi ...

(Pittsburgh Pirates, October 16, 1909), Doug DeCinces (Baltimore Orioles, October 13, 1979), Dick Hoblitzell (Boston Red Sox, October 9, 1916, 14 innings), Ross Youngs (New York Giants, October 10, 1924, 12 innings), and

(Brooklyn Dodgers, October 5, 1952, 11 innings) Stolen bases, inning: 2, 5th inning, vs. New York Giants, October 6, 1921 *Tied with several other players Innings pitched, game: 14, vs. Brooklyn Dodgers, October 9, 1916 *Ruth pitched a complete game victory (won game 2–1) Consecutive Scoreless Innings Pitched: 29 2/3 Innings *Broken by Whitey Ford October 8, 1961

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Career achievements of Babe Ruth Ruth, Babe Career achievements of Babe Ruth New York City sports-related lists