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 2021 season, Madison Bumgarner, with 19 home runs, holds the lead among all active pitchers.^[15] Bumgarner also has hit the second most home runs by a pitcher since the American League adopted the designated hitter rule in 1973 (behind Carlos Zambrano). Bumgarner has played his most of his career thus far for the San Francisco Giants of the National League, and is currently playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Starting with the 2022 season, the National League also adopted the designated hitter rule, so most pitchers will no longer bat, excepting two-way players, such as Shohei 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

Bob Lemon hit 35 of his 37 career home runs as a pitcher.

Warren Spahn hit all 35 of his career home runs as a pitcher.

Walter Johnson hit 23 of his 24 career home runs as a pitcher.

Key to symbols in player table

	Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bold	Denotes active player.[a]

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		[23]
Bob Gibson	24	24		[24]
Carlos Zambrano	24	24		[25]
Walter Johnson	23	24	Hit one home run as a pinch hitter.	[26]
Jack Stivetts	21	35	Hit 11 home runs while playing various other positions and three as a pinch hitter.	[13]
Milt Pappas	20	20		[27]
Dizzy Trout	20	20		[28]
Jack Harshman	19	21	Hit two home runs as a first baseman.	[29]
Madison Bumgarner	19	19		[30]
Cy Young	18	18		[31]
Schoolboy Rowe	16	18	Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter.	[32]
Jim Tobin	16	17	Hit one home run as a pinch hitter.	[22]
Jim Kaat	16	16		[33]
Mike Hampton	16	16		[19]
Jouett Meekin	15	15		[34]
Hal Schumacher	15	15		[35]
Lefty Grove	15	15		[36]
Claude Passeau	15	15		[37]
Joe Nuxhall	15	15		[38]
Early Wynn	15	17	Hit two home runs as a pinch hitter.	[39]
Don Newcombe	15	15		[18]
Dick Donovan	15	15		[40]
Don Cardwell	15	15		[41]
Pedro Ramos	15	15		[42]
Rick Wise	15	15		[43]
Gary Peters	15	19	Hit four home runs as a pinch hitter	[44]

Active

Madison Bumgarner leads active pitchers with 19 home runs.

• Statistics obtained from MLB.com.^[55] Updated through August 28, 2022.

Single-season

Jack Stivetts hit 7 home runs, as a pitcher, in 1890.

Mike Hampton hit 7 home runs in 2001 for the Colorado Rockies.

Key to symbols in player table

	Denotes elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Bold	Denotes active player.[a]

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	[23]
Bill Hutchinson	6	6	1894	Chicago Colts	[56]
Hal Schumacher	6	6	1934	New York Giants	[35]
Wes Ferrell	6	7	1935	Boston Red Sox	[17]
Jack Harshman	6	6	1956	Chicago White Sox	[29]
Jack Harshman	6	6	1958	Baltimore Orioles	[29]
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	[57]
Sonny Siebert	6	6	1971	Boston Red Sox	[58]
Rick Wise	6	6	1971	Philadelphia Phillies	[43]
Carlos Zambrano	6	6	2006	Chicago Cubs	[25]

Progression of the single-season record

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
Jack Manning	1	1876	Boston Red Caps	Tied by Jim Devlin (1877),[59] Terry Larkin (1877),[60] and John Montgomery Ward (1878).[61]	[21]
John Montgomery Ward	2	1879	Providence Grays		[61]
Jim Whitney	4	1882	Boston Red Caps	Tied by John Clarkson (1885).[23]	[62]
John Clarkson	6	1887	Chicago White Stockings		[23]
Jack Stivetts	7	1890	St. Louis Browns		[13]
Wes Ferrell	9	1931	Cleveland Indians		[17]

Single-game