MLB Top five home-run hitters of all-time – Part 2
Babe Ruth is one of the three players in the history of professional baseball to cross the 700 career home-runs mark. Ruth played baseball from 1914-1935 and proved himself to be a baseball wonder by making his mark first as a pitcher and then a legendary
hitter.
His conversion from a starting pitcher to a full-time right-fielder came in 1919 when he moved to the New York Yankees. Analysing the number of years it took him to hit 714 home-runs, one can only term this legendary player as a “hitting machine”.
Babe Ruth became the first player to hit 60 home-runs in a single season in 1927 and it remained a record till 1961 when Roger Maris broke it. Ruth became a household name in America and a study by Associated Press concluded that Babe Ruth was tied to Mohammad
Ali as the most recognised athlete in America among the sample of 800 athletes.
In 1999, the legendary Ruth was ranked as the third-greatest US athlete of all-time behind Michael Jordan and Mohammad Ali.
Ruth transformed the low-scoring game of baseball to a high-scoring power dominated game that not only fascinated the fans but also attracted others who did not follow baseball actively.
He was given his share of recognition when his name was entered in the Hall of Fame in 1936 and then in 1998 when Ruth was ranked as Number one on the list of ‘Baseball’s 100 greatest players’. The “Bambino” ended the century on a high too, making his name
on the MLB All-Century Team.
Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron is remembered as one of the greatest players ever to have played major league baseball. He was well known for his hitting power and was rightly nicknamed “Hammer”.
Aaron’s baseball career spanned from 1954 to 1976 and during this period he made a mind-boggling 25 appearances to the All-Star Team.
Hank displayed his hitting abilities consistently throughout his career. He is the only player to have recorded 30 or more home-runs in a season for at least fifteen times. The most noteworthy achievement came when Hank breezed past Babe Ruth’s home-run
record of 714 homers.
The right-handed hitter was a true gentleman and continues to live his life as a legend. In the modern era, finding a player of Hank Aaron’s stature cannot be deemed as a possibility. He ended his career with 755 home-runs and is ranked as the second highest
home-run hitter in the history of baseball.
At Number one in the highest number of home-runs hit in the history of professional baseball is Barry Lamar Bonds. He is not an old-era player and was active in the game until 2007 when he represented the San Francisco Giants.
Barry holds the record for holding seven Most Valuable Player awards, four of which were consecutive from 2001-2004.
Bonds exhibited his hitting power in the 1996 Home Run Derby and went on to win the event. The event acted as a catalyst for Bonds as he continued amassing home-runs.
Barry Bonds reached his peak in 2001 when he hammered 73 home-runs in a single season and then ended his career with 762 home-runs to be ranked at the top of the list of highest all-time home-runs.
The list of highest home-run hitters is dominated by some of the greatest names that the game of baseball has ever produced. In the recent era, there are few players who rank among the top and have a potential to enter the top five. The closest in the race
is Alex Rodriguez, well renowned as A-Rod, who is on 626, just four short of entering the prestigious list.
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