7. 1927 Home Run rates: Ruth breaks HR record fourth and final time.

1927 is the third season in the 100 study years (1920-2019) when the record for total home runs in a season was set. Babe Ruth set the record the previous two times playing his home games in the Polo Grounds (1920-1922), home park of the New York Giants. Starting in 1923 the Yankees played their home games in brand new Yankee Stadium.

Ruth's home runs in record setting the seasons:
1919 29 (with Red Sox): 9 home, 20 road
1920 54: 29 home, 25 road
1921 59: 32 home, 27 road
1927 60: 28 home, 32 road.

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, ...

In 1927 the first three hitters in home runs were also the first three in PctDif. Five of the top 16 home run hitters had a better HR rate than the average of the group. Ruth's home run rate (9.0) was 57.27% better than the group home run rate (21.06): PctDif. That's the lowest PctDif for Ruth in his four record setting seasons.

qryHomeRunsTopNyearPctDif

yearID	nameFirst	nameLast	PctDif	PctDif#	HR#	HR	AB	P_AB/HR	Group_ AB/HR	Dif	franchID	teamID	lgID
1927	Babe	Ruth	57.27%	1	1	60	540	9	21.06	12.06	NYY	NYA	AL
1927	Lou	Gehrig	41.00%	2	2	47	584	12.42553	21.06	8.64	NYY	NYA	AL
1927	Cy	Williams	22.13%	3	3	30	492	16.4	21.06	4.66	PHI	PHI	NL
1927	Hack	Wilson	12.80%	4	3	30	551	18.36667	21.06	2.70	CHC	CHN	NL
1927	Chick	Hafey	8.73%	5	8	18	346	19.22222	21.06	1.84	STL	SLN	NL
1927	Rogers	Hornsby	-3.72%	6	5	26	568	21.84615	21.06	-0.78	SFG	NY1	NL
1927	Earl	Webb	-12.59%	7	13	14	332	23.71428	21.06	-2.65	CHC	CHN	NL
1927	Ken	Williams	-18.14%	8	10	17	423	24.88235	21.06	-3.82	BAL	SLA	AL
1927	Al	Simmons	-28.51%	9	12	15	406	27.06667	21.06	-6.00	OAK	PHA	AL
1927	Bill	Terry	-37.69%	10	6	20	580	29	21.06	-7.94	SFG	NY1	NL
1927	Babe	Herman	-39.72%	11	13	14	412	29.42857	21.06	-8.37	LAD	BRO	NL
1927	George	Harper	-43.33%	12	11	16	483	30.1875	21.06	-9.13	SFG	NY1	NL
1927	Jim	Bottomley	-43.44%	13	7	19	574	30.21053	21.06	-9.15	STL	SLN	NL
1927	Tony	Lazzeri	-50.35%	14	8	18	570	31.66667	21.06	-10.60	NYY	NYA	AL
1927	Travis	Jackson	-59.06%	15	13	14	469	33.5	21.06	-12.44	SFG	NY1	NL
1927	Harry	Heilmann	-71.26%	16	13	14	505	36.07143	21.06	-15.01	DET	DET	AL

Best PctDif 1920-1927:

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
1921	Babe	Ruth	69.08%	1	1	59	540	9.152542	29.60	20.45	NYY	NYA	AL
1926	Babe	Ruth	63.46%	1	1	47	495	10.53191	28.82	18.29	NYY	NYA	AL
1927	Babe	Ruth	57.27%	1	1	60	540	9	21.06	12.06	NYY	NYA	AL
1924	Babe	Ruth	56.44%	1	1	46	529	11.5	26.40	14.90	NYY	NYA	AL
1922	Babe	Ruth	51.76%	1	4	35	406	11.6	24.05	12.45	NYY	NYA	AL
1923	Babe	Ruth	51.15%	1	1	41	522	12.73171	26.06	13.33	NYY	NYA	AL
1923	Cy	Williams	49.93%	2	1	41	535	13.04878	26.06	13.01	PHI	PHI	NL
1925	Rogers	Hornsby	45.24%	1	1	39	504	12.92308	23.60	10.68	STL	SLN	NL
1927	Lou	Gehrig	41.00%	2	2	47	584	12.42553	21.06	8.64	NYY	NYA	AL

Rogers Hornsby in 1925 was in the final season of his five year run during which he had a cumulative batting average (BA) over .400.

In 1927 Ruth's Yankee teammate Lou Gehrig hit the second most home runs (47) in a season by anyone other than Ruth. They were tied at 45 in early September. At least 30 home runs through 1927, half Ruth's new record:

qryHomeRunsTopNyearPctDif

yearID	nameFirst	nameLast	PctDif	PctDif#	HR#	HR	AB	P_AB/HR	Group_ AB/HR	Dif	franchID	teamID	lgID
1927	Babe	Ruth	57.27%	1	1	60	540	9	21.06	12.06	NYY	NYA	AL
1921	Babe	Ruth	69.08%	1	1	59	540	9.152542	29.60	20.45	NYY	NYA	AL
1920	Babe	Ruth	76.34%	1	1	54	457	8.462963	35.77	27.31	NYY	NYA	AL
1927	Lou	Gehrig	41.00%	2	2	47	584	12.42553	21.06	8.64	NYY	NYA	AL
1926	Babe	Ruth	63.46%	1	1	47	495	10.53191	28.82	18.29	NYY	NYA	AL
1924	Babe	Ruth	56.44%	1	1	46	529	11.5	26.40	14.90	NYY	NYA	AL
1922	Rogers	Hornsby	38.31%	2	1	42	623	14.83333	24.05	9.21	STL	SLN	NL
1923	Cy	Williams	49.93%	2	1	41	535	13.04878	26.06	13.01	PHI	PHI	NL
1923	Babe	Ruth	51.15%	1	1	41	522	12.73171	26.06	13.33	NYY	NYA	AL
1922	Ken	Williams	37.62%	3	2	39	585	15	24.05	9.05	BAL	SLA	AL
1925	Rogers	Hornsby	45.24%	1	1	39	504	12.92308	23.60	10.68	STL	SLN	NL
1922	Tillie	Walker	36.49%	4	3	37	565	15.27027	24.05	8.78	OAK	PHA	AL
1922	Babe	Ruth	51.76%	1	4	35	406	11.6	24.05	12.45	NYY	NYA	AL
1925	Bob	Meusel	19.88%	5	2	33	624	18.90909	23.60	4.69	NYY	NYA	AL
1927	Cy	Williams	22.13%	3	3	30	492	16.4	21.06	4.66	PHI	PHI	NL
1927	Hack	Wilson	12.80%	4	3	30	551	18.36667	21.06	2.70	CHC	CHN	NL