5. 1920 Home Run rates: Ruth breaks own HR record.

1920 is the first season in the study years (1920-2019) when the record for total home runs in a season was set. Babe Ruth broke his own record set the previous year, 1919, when he hit 29 home runs (9 home, 20 road) playing for the Boston Red Sox. 1920-1934 Ruth played for the New York Yankees.

Yankee Stadium opened in 1923, so Ruth was playing his home games in his first three Yankee seasons in the Polo Grounds, home park of the New York Giants.

Please read the previous four posts in this series:
1. Top Home Run hitters rates per year. Saturday, November 30, 2019 8:59 AM
2. Home Run rates (AB/HR) leaders 1920-2019. Saturday, November 30, 2019 6:55 PM

3. Home Run rates summary (AB/HR) leaders 1920-2019. Saturday, November 30, 2019 8:16 PM
4. Home Run rates: HR leaders who did not also lead in PctDif. Monday, December 2, 2019 12:21 PM

AB: At Bats
HR: Home Runs
MLB: Major League Baseball: both American League and National League
Home Run Rate: AB/HR (lower is better)
N: number of MLB teams that season
Top home run hitters: N hitters with the most HR, plus any ties at the bottom
Home Run Rate MLB: for N hitters: total AB / total HR
Home Run Rate hitters: AB/HR
Dif: Home Run Rate hitter - Home Run Rate MLB
PctDif: Dif/Home Run Rate MLB
HR#: rank among N hitters for HR
PctDif#: rank among N hitters for PctDif

Hitters are ranked by relative position: 1, 2, 3, ... Ties would have the same number and then rank number would resume. For example, if four players are tied at third place: 1, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 7, 8, ...

The first three hitters in home runs were also the first three in PctDif and the only hitters with a better HR rate than the average of the group. Ruth's home run rate (8.46) was 76.34% better than the group home run rate (35.77): PctDif. Ruth's 54 1920 home runs: 29 home, 25 road.

Playing in his final season before being banned for taking money from gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series, Shoeless Joe Jackson had the 10th best home run rate. The first Yankee to lead the American League (AL) in home runs (1916, 1917), Wally Pipp, was 15th in home run rate. In his first Yankee season Babe Ruth broke Pipps Yankee season and career home run records.

qryHomeRunsTopNyearPctDif

yearID	nameFirst	nameLast	PctDif	PctDif#	HR#	HR	AB	P_AB/HR	Group_ AB/HR	Dif	franchID	teamID	lgID
1920	Babe	Ruth	76.34%	1	1	54	457	8.462963	35.77	27.31	NYY	NYA	AL
1920	George	Sisler	7.15%	2	2	19	631	33.21053	35.77	2.56	BAL	SLA	AL
1920	Tillie	Walker	3.79%	3	3	17	585	34.41177	35.77	1.36	OAK	PHA	AL
1920	Irish	Meusel	-3.44%	4	5	14	518	37	35.77	-1.23	PHI	PHI	NL
1920	Elmer	Smith	-6.24%	5	7	12	456	38	35.77	-2.23	CLE	CLE	AL
1920	Cy	Williams	-9.97%	6	4	15	590	39.33333	35.77	-3.56	PHI	PHI	NL
1920	Happy	Felsch	-11.03%	7	5	14	556	39.71429	35.77	-3.95	CHW	CHA	AL
1920	Bob	Meusel	-16.91%	8	9	11	460	41.81818	35.77	-6.05	NYY	NYA	AL
1920	Aaron	Ward	-26.06%	9	9	11	496	45.09091	35.77	-9.32	NYY	NYA	AL
1920	Shoeless Joe	Jackson	-32.80%	10	7	12	570	47.5	35.77	-11.73	CHW	CHA	AL
1920	Dave	Robertson	-39.79%	11	14	10	500	50	35.77	-14.23	CHC	CHN	NL
1920	Austin	McHenry	-40.91%	12	14	10	504	50.4	35.77	-14.63	STL	SLN	NL
1920	Ken	Williams	-45.66%	13	14	10	521	52.1	35.77	-16.33	BAL	SLA	AL
1920	High Pockets	Kelly	-49.95%	14	9	11	590	53.63636	35.77	-17.87	SFG	NY1	NL
1920	Wally	Pipp	-55.04%	15	9	11	610	55.45454	35.77	-19.69	NYY	NYA	AL
1920	Bobby	Veach	-55.55%	16	9	11	612	55.63636	35.77	-19.87	DET	DET	AL