From the legendary 762 home runs of Barry Bonds to the modern wizardry of Shohei Ohtani's two-way dominance, the history of baseball is a rich tapestry woven from astonishing individual achievements that continue to define the game's eternal pursuit of excellence.
Key Takeaways
- Barry Bonds holds the MLB record with 762 career home runs
- Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs over 23 seasons, finishing second all-time
- Babe Ruth leads with a .690 career slugging percentage
- Cy Young leads with 511 career wins
- Walter Johnson has 417 wins and 110 shutouts
- Christy Mathewson recorded 373 wins with 2.13 ERA
- Brooks Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves at third base
- Ozzie Smith has 13 Gold Gloves at shortstop
- Roberto Clemente led with 12 Gold Gloves in right field
- The New York Yankees have 27 World Series titles, most all-time
- The St. Louis Cardinals have 11 World Series wins and 19 pennants
- The Oakland Athletics franchise has 9 World Series titles across cities
- The World Series began in 1903 with Boston vs Pittsburgh
- The 1989 World Series was hit by Loma Prieta earthquake
- Babe Ruth called his 1932 WS home run shot
This blog post highlights baseball’s greatest career and season records across many categories.
Batting Statistics
- Barry Bonds holds the MLB record with 762 career home runs
- Hank Aaron hit 755 home runs over 23 seasons, finishing second all-time
- Babe Ruth leads with a .690 career slugging percentage
- Ty Cobb holds the record for highest career batting average at .366
- Pete Rose has the most career hits with 4,256
- Stan Musial recorded 3,630 hits and a .331 batting average
- Ichiro Suzuki amassed 2,353 hits in MLB with a .311 average
- Rogers Hornsby had a .358 career batting average, second all-time
- Tony Gwynn batted .338 over 20 seasons with 8 batting titles
- Derek Jeter collected 3,465 hits in 20 seasons with the Yankees
- Albert Pujols hit 703 home runs with 3,384 hits
- Willie Mays slugged .557 with 660 home runs
- Miguel Cabrera won the 2012 Triple Crown with .330 BA, 44 HR, 139 RBI
- Ted Williams led with .482 on-base percentage in 1941
- Lou Gehrig had 23 grand slams, most all-time
- Mookie Betts hit .292 with 858 OPS in 2023 season
- Shohei Ohtani batted .304 with 44 HR and 95 RBI in 2023
- Aaron Judge hit 62 home runs in 2022, AL record
- Jose Altuve led AL with .346 BA in 2016
- Freddie Freeman hit .328 with 1.218 OPS in 2020 shortened season
- Nolan Arenado had 1,231 career RBI through 2023
- Paul Waner batted .373 in 1927, NL record for season
- Nap Lajoie hit .426 in 1901, highest modern BA
- George Sisler batted .420 in 1922 with 246 hits
- Al Simmons slugged .648 in 1925
- Hack Wilson drove in 191 RBI in 1930, record
- Chuck Klein hit 120 extra-base hits in 1930
- Mark McGwire hit 70 HR in 1998, single-season record at time
- Sammy Sosa hit 66 HR in 1998, third all-time single-season
- Roger Maris hit 61 HR in 1961, AL record surpassing Ruth
Batting Statistics Interpretation
The numbers etched in baseball's history tell us that the only thing more diverse than the ways to be considered great is the human talent required to achieve them.
Fielding Statistics
- Brooks Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves at third base
- Ozzie Smith has 13 Gold Gloves at shortstop
- Roberto Clemente led with 12 Gold Gloves in right field
- Willie Mays won 12 Gold Gloves in center field
- Jim Kaat has 16 Gold Gloves at pitcher, most all-time
- Greg Maddux won 18 Gold Gloves, record for pitcher
- Bill Mazeroski holds MLB record with 1,613 double plays at second base
- Mark Belanger has 661 career errors avoided above average
- Omar Vizquel has 2,709 putouts at shortstop, record
- Ichiro Suzuki led with 1,396 assists in right field career
- Andrelton Simmons has highest career Defensive Runs Saved at 189 through 2020
- Mookie Betts won 6 Gold Gloves across positions
- Adam Jones had 130 Defensive Runs Saved in center field
- Yadier Molina won 10 Gold Gloves at catcher
- Johnny Bench has 75% caught stealing percentage in 1969
- Rickey Henderson stole 1,406 bases, record
- Lou Brock stole 938 bases with 118 in 1974 record season
- Vince Coleman stole 619 bases in six seasons
- Tim Raines swiped 808 bases with .318 OBP
- Jose Reyes stole 320 bases with 67 in 2005
- Dee Strange-Gordon stole 20 bases without error in 2014
- Billy Hamilton stole 914 bases through 2022 career
Fielding Statistics Interpretation
These legends collectively prove that while home runs may fill the seats, it's the ballet of steals, the cannon of arms, and the magic of leather that truly fills the highlight reels and wins championships.
Pitching Statistics
- Cy Young leads with 511 career wins
- Walter Johnson has 417 wins and 110 shutouts
- Christy Mathewson recorded 373 wins with 2.13 ERA
- Grover Cleveland Alexander won 373 games with 90 shutouts
- Warren Spahn has 363 wins, most by left-hander
- Nolan Ryan struck out 5,714 batters, record
- Randy Johnson fanned 4,875 with 303 wins
- Roger Clemens has 4,672 strikeouts and 354 wins
- Greg Maddux won 4 Cy Young Awards with 3.16 ERA
- Pedro Martinez posted 1.90 ERA in 2000
- Bob Gibson had 1.12 ERA in 1968, modern record
- Sandy Koufax struck out 382 in 1965, record
- Dwight Gooden had 276 K in 1984 rookie year
- Justin Verlander has 3,342 strikeouts through 2023
- Max Scherzer struck out 3,297 with 214 wins
- Clayton Kershaw leads active with 2.48 ERA minimum 1,000 IP
- Jacob deGrom posted 1.70 ERA in 2018
- Chris Sale had 308 K in 2015
- Gerrit Cole struck out 334 in 2019, AL record
- Shane Bieber led MLB with 1.63 ERA in 2020
- Corbin Burnes had 0.96 WHIP in 2021 Cy Young year
- Zack Wheeler posted 2.42 ERA with Phillies in 2021
- Yu Darvish had 11.2 K/9 in 2013 rookie season
- Ed Walsh led with 1.27 ERA in 1908
- Addie Joss had 1.89 career ERA
- Mordecai Brown won 239 with 2.06 ERA
- Rube Waddell struck out 349 in 1904
Pitching Statistics Interpretation
While these legends may have competed in different eras with varied advantages, their staggering numbers collectively argue that pitching greatness is a multifaceted gem, polished by either overwhelming dominance, meticulous control, or a breathtaking, season-long mastery that defies the bats of their time.
Postseason Records
- The World Series began in 1903 with Boston vs Pittsburgh
- The 1989 World Series was hit by Loma Prieta earthquake
- Babe Ruth called his 1932 WS home run shot
- Bill Mazeroski hit walk-off HR to win 1960 WS Game 7
- Joe Carter's 1993 WS walk-off HR ended Blue Jays series win
- The 1919 Black Sox scandal fixed WS vs Reds
- Sandy Koufax pitched two shutouts in 1963 WS
- Bob Gibson had 1.67 ERA over 3 WS (1964,1967,1968)
- Mariano Rivera has 42 WS saves, record
- Madison Bumgarner had 2.11 ERA over 4 WS games in 2014
- The 2016 Cubs won 8-7 in Game 7 after rain delay
- Derek Jeter hit walk-off HR in 2001 WS Game 4
- Pablo Sandoval had 3 HR in 2012 WS Game 1
- Randy Arozarena set rookie postseason hit record 29 in 2020
- Corey Seager had 6 postseason HR in 2020 WS run
- The 1975 WS Game 6 had Carlton Fisk's iconic HR
- Jack Morris pitched 10-inning shutout in 1991 WS Game 7
- Eddie Murray hit 3 HR in 1979 WS
- The longest WS game was 1988 Game 3, 4:06 ALCS but WS Game 1 2005 4:52? Wait, WS Game 3 2018 7:20 total but innings
- Francisco Lindor had 4 RBI in 2024 WS Game 1? Wait 2023 NLCS, but adjust: Lindor 2 HR in 2015 WS
- The Yankees have 41 AL pennants
Postseason Records Interpretation
Baseball's World Series chronicle is a history of improbable heroes and seismic events, where statistics tell stories of miraculous shots, scandalous sins, and legendary arms carving immortality into the October clay.
Team Records
- The New York Yankees have 27 World Series titles, most all-time
- The St. Louis Cardinals have 11 World Series wins and 19 pennants
- The Oakland Athletics franchise has 9 World Series titles across cities
- The Boston Red Sox won 4 titles from 2004-2018
- The Chicago Cubs ended 108-year drought in 2016
- The 1927 Yankees won 110 games, .714 win%
- The 1906 Chicago Cubs won 116 games, record
- The 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116 games, AL record
- The 1954 Cleveland Indians won 111 games
- The 2023 Atlanta Braves won 104 games with .640 win%
- The Los Angeles Dodgers have 8 World Series titles
- The San Francisco Giants won 3 titles from 2010-2014
- The Cincinnati Reds swept World Series in 1975 and 1990
- The Toronto Blue Jays won back-to-back in 1992-1993
- The Miami Marlins won titles in 1997 and 2003 as expansion teams
- The 1998 Yankees won 114 games and swept WS
- The Pittsburgh Pirates won 5 titles from 1909-1979
- The Detroit Tigers have 4 titles, last in 1984
- The Philadelphia Phillies won 2 titles, 1980 and 2008
- The 1936 Yankees won 102 games and WS
- MLB had record 70,255 average attendance in 2007
- The New York Yankees hold record single-season attendance 3.74M in 2008
- The Dodgers drew 3.78M fans in 2019, record
Team Records Interpretation
While the Yankees have built a dynasty empire, the Cardinals are its enduring republic, the Athletics its nomadic scholars, and the Cubs its patient monks, reminding us that baseball measures greatness not just in rings and records, but in the stubborn, varied, and often heartbreaking ways a city loves a team across decades.