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Single Season 50 Home Run Hitters (How Many in Steroid Era?)

October 30th, 2006 | Thaq Diesel

By Thaq Diesel

I saw a recent listing of the single-season 50 home-run hitters of all time (full list below, ‘roid suspects in bold). I always hear about the perception that ‘roids are tainting the statistical tradition of baseball. I thought that the home run, the most hallowed and sexy of baseball statistics, would be a good way to test that theory. Of the people that have hit 50 home runs since 1977 (13 distinct players in all) I suspect seven of them took something to get there. I’m sure I’m probably low in my estimate.

It’s strange how I’d come across a name, like say Jim Thome, and mentally acquit them. Most of the people I’ve said I think are clean have bigger midsections (the Babe Ruth Body, as it were). Big Papi is in that category but is a question mark. I also have contradictory thinking. For example, the reason I thought Luis Gonzalez likely guilty is that his 2001 season was such an aberration from other years. Yet, I don’t include Ryan Howard, Thome or Andruw Jones for the same reasons because I think they ‘could’ hit that many. Jones has a huge booty from which I maintain he draws all his magic powers. I don’t include Griffey at all, but I believe that his God-given swing is the reason for his dingers and that he’d have hit 50 every other year if he hadn’t been injured so much. A-Rod appears to be a once-in-every-20 years kind of player, albeit one people like to pick on for some reason. It’s strange how my mind wrapped around this list as I looked at it and how my personal biases about players came into play.

It is no coincidence, however, that in a game with such statistical roots, there was an 18 year gap between 50-dong hitters. And it’s no coinkey-dink that 22 of the 39 times it has ever happened came in the past eleven years. There’s something in the coffee.

I put in bold below the players whose numbers I, the Diesel, find suspect. I obviously have no proof and it’s just educated guesses. It also wasn’t against the rules at the time, but it still doesn’t seem fair to the record books for people to have had help. It’s all a big debate. I also don’t include Hank Greenberg of the ‘38 Tigers, whose steroid-induced rages on the squat rack beneath Tiger Stadium would have made Albert Belle blush. Okay, I made that last part up.

   73 — Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants, 2001
   70 — Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals, 1998
   66 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 1998
   65 — Mark McGwire, St. Louis Cardinals, 1999
   64 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 2001
   63 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 1999
   61 — Roger Maris, N.Y. Yankees, 1961
   60 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1927
   59 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1921
   58 — Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics, 1932
   58 — Hank Greenberg, Detroit Tigers, 1938
   58 — Mark McGwire, Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals, 1997
   58 — Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies, 2006
   57 — Luis Gonzalez, Arizona Diamondbacks, 2001
   57 — Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, 2002
   56 — Hack Wilson, Chicago Cubs, 1930
   56 — Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners, 1997
   56 — Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners, 1998
   54 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1920
   54 — Babe Ruth, N.Y. Yankees, 1928
   54 — Ralph Kiner, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1949
   54 — Mickey Mantle, N.Y. Yankees, 1961
   54 — David Ortiz, Boston Reds Sox, 2006
   52 — Mickey Mantle, N.Y. Yankees, 1956
   52 — Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants, 1965
   52 — George Foster, Cincinnati Reds, 1977
   52 — Mark McGwire, Oakland Athletics, 1996
   52 — Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers, 2001
   52 — Jim Thome, Cleveland Indians, 2002
   51 — Ralph Kiner, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1947
   51 — Johnny Mize, N.Y. Giants, 1947
   51 — Willie Mays, N.Y. Giants, 1955
   51 — Cecil Fielder, Detroit Tigers, 1990 (Bulking up meant something different to Cecil)
   51 — Andruw Jones, Atlanta Braves, 2005
   50 — Jimmie Foxx, Boston Red Sox, 1938
   50 — Albert Belle, Cleveland Indians, 1995
   50 — Brady Anderson, Baltimore Orioles, 1996
   50 — Greg Vaughn, San Diego Padres, 1998
   50 — Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs, 2000