List of Major League Baseball leaders in home runs by pitchers

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Inn 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]

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Wes Ferrell holds both the career and season records for home runs by a pitcher.

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 11 (he has 280 total HRs, but 266 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] and Shohei Ohtani in a postseason game on October 17, 2025. However, Ohtani only hit 2 of those HRs as pitcher of record. His 3rd HR came in the 7th inning after he had been removed as pitcher and moved to DH.[23]

Career

All-time

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Bob Lemon hit 35 of his 37 career home runs as a pitcher.
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Warren Spahn hit all 35 of his career home runs as a pitcher.
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Walter Johnson hit 23 of his 24 career home runs as a pitcher.
More information †, Bold ...
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†
 Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bold Denotes active player.[a]
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More information Player, Home runs ...
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
Wes Ferrell 37 38 Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. [17]
Bob Lemon† 35 37 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [8]
Warren Spahn† 35 35 [9]
Red Ruffing† 34 36 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [10]
Earl Wilson 33 35 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [11]
Don Drysdale† 29 29 [12]
John Clarkson† 24 24 [24]
Bob Gibson† 24 24 [25]
Carlos Zambrano 24 24 [26]
Walter Johnson† 23 24 Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. [27]
Jack Stivetts 21 35 Hit 11 home runs while playing various other positions and three as a pinch hitter. [13]
Milt Pappas 20 20 [28]
Dizzy Trout 20 20 [29]
Jack Harshman 19 21 Hit two home runs as a first baseman. [30]
Madison Bumgarner 19 19 [31]
Cy Young† 18 18 [32]
Schoolboy Rowe 16 18 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [33]
Jim Tobin 16 17 Hit one home run as a pinch hitter. [22]
Jim Kaat† 16 16 [34]
Mike Hampton 16 16 [19]
Jouett Meekin 15 15 [35]
Hal Schumacher 15 15 [36]
Lefty Grove† 15 15 [37]
Claude Passeau 15 15 [38]
Joe Nuxhall 15 15 [39]
Early Wynn† 15 17 Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter. [40]
Don Newcombe 15 15 [18]
Dick Donovan 15 15 [41]
Don Cardwell 15 15 [42]
Pedro Ramos 15 15 [43]
Rick Wise 15 15 [44]
Gary Peters 15 19 Hit four home runs as a pinch hitter [45]
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  • Statistics obtained from MLB.com.[46] Updated through April 24, 2025.

Single-season

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Jack Stivetts hit 7 home runs, as a pitcher, in 1890.
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Mike Hampton hit 7 home runs in 2001 for the Colorado Rockies.
More information †, Bold ...
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†
 Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bold Denotes active player.[a]
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More information Player, Home runs ...
Most home runs by a pitcher in a season, their total home runs, year, and team
Player Home runs Season total Year Team Ref
Wes Ferrell 9 9 1931 Cleveland Indians [17]
Jack Stivetts 7 7 1890 St. Louis Browns [13]
Wes Ferrell 7 7 1933 Cleveland Indians [17]
Bob Lemon† 7 7 1949 Cleveland Indians [8]
Don Newcombe 7 7 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers [18]
Don Drysdale† 7 7 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers [12]
Don Drysdale† 7 7 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers [12]
Earl Wilson 7 7 1968 Detroit Tigers [11]
Mike Hampton 7 7 2001 Colorado Rockies [19]
John Clarkson† 6 6 1887 Chicago White Stockings [24]
Bill Hutchison 6 6 1894 Chicago Colts [47]
Hal Schumacher 6 6 1934 New York Giants [36]
Wes Ferrell 6 7 1935 Boston Red Sox [17]
Jack Harshman 6 6 1956 Chicago White Sox [30]
Jack Harshman 6 6 1958 Baltimore Orioles [30]
Earl Wilson 6 6 1965 Boston Red Sox [11]
Earl Wilson 6 7 1966 Boston Red Sox/Detroit Tigers [11]
Ferguson Jenkins† 6 6 1971 Chicago Cubs [48]
Sonny Siebert 6 6 1971 Boston Red Sox [49]
Rick Wise 6 6 1971 Philadelphia Phillies [44]
Carlos Zambrano 6 6 2006 Chicago Cubs [26]
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Progression of the single-season record

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John Clarkson tied the single-season record in 1885 with four, then broke it by hitting six in 1887.
More information Player, Home runs ...
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
Jack Manning 1 1876 Boston Red Caps Tied by Jim Devlin (1877),[50] Terry Larkin (1877),[51] and John Montgomery Ward (1878).[52] [21]
John Montgomery Ward† 2 1879 Providence Grays [52]
Jim Whitney 4 1882 Boston Red Caps Tied by John Clarkson (1885).[24] [53]
John Clarkson† 6 1887 Chicago White Stockings [24]
Jack Stivetts 7 1890 St. Louis Browns [13]
Wes Ferrell 9 1931 Cleveland Indians [17]
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Single-game

More information Player, Team ...
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
Jim Tobin Boston Braves 3 May 13, 1942 Chicago Cubs [22]
Shohei Ohtani Los Angeles Dodgers 3 October 17, 2025 Milwaukee Brewers [23]
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Notes

  1. [a]
    A player is considered inactive if he has announced his retirement or not played for a full season.

References

Bibliography

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