List of Major League Baseball leaders in home runs by pitchers

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Template:Short description

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

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]

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.[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 2025 season, Shohei Ohtani holds the lead among all active pitchers with 9 (he has 231 total HRs, but 220 were hit as a designated hitter and 2 were as a pinch hitter).[15] Carlos Zambrano has hit the most home runs by a pitcher since the American League adopted the designated hitter rule in 1973. 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 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

A baseball player is shown his chest up, holding a baseball with his right hand.
Bob Lemon hit 35 of his 37 career home runs as a pitcher.
A baseball player is shown leaning forward as if in the act of throwing a baseball.
Warren Spahn hit all 35 of his career home runs as a pitcher.
A baseball player is shown from the chest up smiling into the camera.
Walter Johnson hit 23 of his 24 career home runs as a pitcher.
Key to symbols in player table
Template:†
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bold Denotes active player.[lower-alpha 1]
Most home runs by a pitcher in a career, and their career total including home runs at other positions
Player Home runs Career total Notes Ref
Template:Sortname 37 38 Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. [17]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 35 37 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [8]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 35 35 [9]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 34 36 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [10]
Template:Sortname 33 35 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [11]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 29 29 [12]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 24 24 [23]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 24 24 [24]
Template:Sortname 24 24 [25]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 23 24 Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. [26]
Template:Sortname 21 35 Hit 11 home runs while playing various other positions and three as a pinch hitter. [13]
Template:Sortname 20 20 [27]
Template:Sortname 20 20 [28]
Template:Sortname 19 21 Hit two home runs as a first baseman. [29]
Template:Sortname 19 19 [30]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 18 18 [31]
Template:Sortname 16 18 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [32]
Template:Sortname 16 17 Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. [22]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 16 16 [33]
Template:Sortname 16 16 [19]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [34]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [35]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 15 15 [36]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [37]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [38]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 15 17 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [39]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [18]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [40]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [41]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [42]
Template:Sortname 15 15 [43]
Template:Sortname 15 19 Hit four home runs as a pinch hitter [44]


  • Statistics obtained from MLB.com.[45] Updated through April 24, 2025.

Single-season

A full body photograph of a baseball player in uniform.
Jack Stivetts hit 7 home runs, as a pitcher, in 1890.
A full body photograph of a baseball player in uniform in a pitching motion.
Mike Hampton hit 7 home runs in 2001 for the Colorado Rockies.
Key to symbols in player table
Template:†
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bold Denotes active player.[lower-alpha 1]
Most home runs by a pitcher in a season, their total home runs, year, and team
Player Home runs Season total Year Team Ref
Template:Sortname 9 9 1931 Cleveland Indians [17]
Template:Sortname 7 7 1890 St. Louis Browns [13]
Template:Sortname 7 7 1933 Cleveland Indians [17]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 7 7 1949 Cleveland Indians [8]
Template:Sortname 7 7 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers [18]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 7 7 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers [12]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 7 7 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers [12]
Template:Sortname 7 7 1968 Detroit Tigers [11]
Template:Sortname 7 7 2001 Colorado Rockies [19]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 6 6 1887 Chicago White Stockings [23]
Template:Sortname 6 6 1894 Chicago Colts [46]
Template:Sortname 6 6 1934 New York Giants [35]
Template:Sortname 6 7 1935 Boston Red Sox [17]
Template:Sortname 6 6 1956 Chicago White Sox [29]
Template:Sortname 6 6 1958 Baltimore Orioles [29]
Template:Sortname 6 6 1965 Boston Red Sox [11]
Template:Sortname 6 7 1966 Boston Red Sox/Detroit Tigers [11]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 6 6 1971 Chicago Cubs [47]
Template:Sortname 6 6 1971 Boston Red Sox [48]
Template:Sortname 6 6 1971 Philadelphia Phillies [43]
Template:Sortname 6 6 2006 Chicago Cubs [25]

Progression of the single-season record

A baseball player is shown attempting to catch a baseball.
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
Player Home runs Year Team Notes Ref
Template:Sortname 1 1876 Boston Red Caps Tied by Jim Devlin (1877),[49] Terry Larkin (1877),[50] and John Montgomery Ward (1878).[51] [21]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 2 1879 Providence Grays [51]
Template:Sortname 4 1882 Boston Red Caps Tied by John Clarkson (1885).[23] [52]
Template:SortnameTemplate:† 6 1887 Chicago White Stockings [23]
Template:Sortname 7 1890 St. Louis Browns [13]
Template:Sortname 9 1931 Cleveland Indians [17]

Single-game

Most home runs by a pitcher in a game, team, home runs, date of game, and opposing team
Player Team Home Runs Date Opposing team Ref
Template:Sortname Boston Braves 3 May 13, 1942 Chicago Cubs [22]

Notes

Template:Reflist

References

Template:Reflist

Bibliography

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Template:Major League Baseball records Template:Portal bar

  1. ↑ Official Baseball Rule, 6.09 (d), page 61
  2. ↑ Official Baseball Rule, 7.05 (a), page 66
  3. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ "Major League Baseball Official Rules: 7.00 The Runner". mlb.com. Retrieved June 6, 2012.
  6. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c d e Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ a b c d e f Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ a b c d Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".


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