Career Home Runs 1960-1964: Williams passes Gehrig; Mantle and Mathews dominate.

1960 was the final season for Ted Williams. It followed his most disappointing. Through 1959 he is one home run behind Lou Gehrig. Williams has been fifth in career home runs 1954-1959. Williams will turn 42 on August 30, 1960. He has one of the best final seasons ever: OPS+ 190 in 390 plate appearances and 29 home runs in 310 at bats. After the 1960 season Ted Williams is no longer fifth in career home runs. Williams not only passes Gehrig but also moves 10 past Mel Ott. See the table below.

Also in 1960 Mickey Mantle leads the AL in HR (40) for the fourth and final time and becomes the active home run leader of the New York Yankees passing teammate Yogi Berra:

qryHomeRunsCarYear2

theYear	Rank	NameF	NameL	HRcar	ABcar	HRmax	Bat	Year1	YearL
1960	14	Mickey	Mantle	320	5005	52	B	1951	1960
1960	15	Yogi	Berra	318	6772	30	L	1946	1960

This is the third in a series of posts that will trace career home run leaders for seasons 1950-1974 when Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth in career home runs. It will highlight the seven big boppers of the 1950s and 1960s: Mantle, Mays, Mathews, Banks, Aaron, Robinson and Killebrew. By 1972 all seven will be in the top ten all time. Here is how those seven fit among the career home run leaders for the five year period with some joining along the way:

qryHomeRunsCarYearPlayer

theYear	NameF	NameL	Rank	HRcar	ABcar	AB/HR	HRmax	Bat	Year1	YearL
1960	Eddie	Mathews	12	338	4894	14.48	47	L	1952	1960
1960	Mickey	Mantle	14	320	5005	15.64	52	B	1951	1960
1960	Willie	Mays	22	279	4669	16.73	51	R	1951	1960
1960	Ernie	Banks	24	269	4159	15.46	47	R	1953	1960
1960	Hank	Aaron	44	219	4114	18.79	44	R	1954	1960
1961	Mickey	Mantle	8	374	5519	14.76	54	B	1951	1961
1961	Eddie	Mathews	9	370	5466	14.77	47	L	1952	1961
1961	Willie	Mays	16	319	5241	16.43	51	R	1951	1961
1961	Ernie	Banks	20	298	4670	15.67	47	R	1953	1961
1961	Hank	Aaron	29	253	4717	18.64	44	R	1954	1961
1961	Frank	Robinson	51	202	3286	16.27	38	R	1956	1961
1962	Mickey	Mantle	7	404	5896	14.59	54	B	1951	1962
1962	Eddie	Mathews	8	399	6002	15.04	47	L	1952	1962
1962	Willie	Mays	12	368	5862	15.93	51	R	1951	1962
1962	Ernie	Banks	16	335	5280	15.76	47	R	1953	1962
1962	Hank	Aaron	21	298	5309	17.82	45	R	1954	1962
1962	Frank	Robinson	41	241	3895	16.16	39	R	1956	1962
1963	Eddie	Mathews	7	422	6549	15.52	47	L	1952	1963
1963	Mickey	Mantle	8	419	6068	14.48	54	B	1951	1963
1963	Willie	Mays	9	406	6458	15.91	51	R	1951	1963
1963	Ernie	Banks	16	353	5712	16.18	47	R	1953	1963
1963	Hank	Aaron	17	342	5940	17.37	45	R	1954	1963
1963	Frank	Robinson	33	262	4377	16.71	39	R	1956	1963
1963	Harmon	Killebrew	48	223	2850	12.78	48	R	1954	1963
1964	Mickey	Mantle	7	454	6533	14.39	54	B	1951	1964
1964	Willie	Mays	8	453	7036	15.53	51	R	1951	1964
1964	Eddie	Mathews	9	445	7051	15.84	47	L	1952	1964
1964	Ernie	Banks	11	376	6303	16.76	47	R	1953	1964
1964	Hank	Aaron	14	366	6510	17.79	45	R	1954	1964
1964	Frank	Robinson	25	291	4945	16.99	39	R	1956	1964
1964	Harmon	Killebrew	32	272	3427	12.60	49	R	1954	1964

All five years the top three all had last names that began with M. Through 1960 Eddie Mathews had more home runs in fewer at bats (AB) than Mickey Mantle. Mantle led the group in 3 years, Mathews in 2. In 1963 Mantle suffered a broken foot and torn ligaments and had only 213 PA, 172 AB: 15 HR. Otherwise Mantle would have led these seven in 4 of 5 years. In 1963 Willie Mays zooms past Mantle in career AB. Through 1964 Mantle led Mays by only one home run, although Mays had 503 more AB. Mantle had a better home run rate (AB/HR: lower is better) than Mays: 14.49 to 15.53. Mantle's dominance would end abruptly in 1965. See the next post.

The data below is spread horizontally so that year to year changes can be seen. Even with only three fields per year, five years is about the most that could be displayed on one page (I hope).

Full data is contained in this link. It's pretty cool. The second tab contains more fields but is a long vertical list of 1,158 records, which served as the source data. It was derived from the Lahman database.

	1960			1961			1962			1963			1964
R	NameL	HR	R	NameL	HR	R	NameL	HR	R	NameL	HR	R	NameL	HR
1	Ruth	714	1	Ruth	714	1	Ruth	714	1	Ruth	714	1	Ruth	714
2	Foxx	534	2	Foxx	534	2	Foxx	534	2	Foxx	534	2	Foxx	534
3	Williams	521	3	Williams	521	3	Williams	521	3	Williams	521	3	Williams	521
4	Ott	511	4	Ott	511	4	Ott	511	4	Ott	511	4	Ott	511
5	Gehrig	493	5	Gehrig	493	5	Gehrig	493	5	Gehrig	493	5	Gehrig	493
6	Musial	429	6	Musial	444	6	Musial	463	6	Musial	475	6	Musial	475
7	Kiner	369	7	Snider	384	7	Mantle	404	7	Mathews	422	7	Mantle	454
8	Snider	368	8	Mantle	374	8	Mathews	399	8	Mantle	419	8	Mays	453
9	DiMaggio	361	9	Mathews	370	9	Snider	389	9	Mays	406	9	Mathews	445
10	Mize	359	10	Kiner	369	10	Hodges	370	10	Snider	403	10	Snider	407
11	Hodges	353	11	DiMaggio	361	11	Kiner	369	11	Hodges	370	11	Banks	376
12	Mathews	338	12	Hodges	361	12	Mays	368	12	Kiner	369	12	Hodges	370
13	Greenberg	331	13	Mize	359	13	DiMaggio	361	13	DiMaggio	361	13	Kiner	369
14	Mantle	320	14	Berra	340	14	Mize	359	14	Mize	359	14	Aaron	366
15	Berra	318	15	Greenberg	331	15	Berra	350	15	Berra	358	15	DiMaggio	361
16	Simmons	307	16	Mays	319	16	Banks	335	16	Banks	353	16	Mize	359
17	Hornsby	301	17	Simmons	307	17	Greenberg	331	17	Aaron	342	17	Berra	358
18	Klein	300	18	Hornsby	301	18	Simmons	307	18	Greenberg	331	18	Greenberg	331
19	Sauer	288	19	Klein	300	19	Hornsby	301	19	Sievers	310	19	Sievers	318
20	Ennis	288	20	Banks	298	20	Klein	300	20	Simmons	307	20	Simmons	307
21	Johnson	288	21	Sauer	288	21	Aaron	298	21	Hornsby	301	21	Adcock	304
22	Mays	279	21	Ennis	288	22	Sievers	291	22	Klein	300	22	Colavito	302
23	York	277	21	Johnson	288	23	Ennis	288	23	Johnson	288	23	Hornsby	301
24	Banks	269	24	Kluszewski	279	23	Sauer	288	23	Ennis	288	24	Klein	300
25	Thomson	264	25	York	277	23	Johnson	288	23	Sauer	288	25	Robinson	291
25	Kluszewski	264	26	Sievers	270	26	Kluszewski	279	26	Adcock	283	26	Johnson	288
27	Doby	253	27	Thomson	264	27	York	277	27	Kluszewski	279	26	Ennis	288
27	Gordon	253	28	Wertz	258	28	Adcock	270	28	York	277	26	Sauer	288
29	Williams	251	29	Aaron	253	29	Thomson	264	29	Thomas	272	29	Thomas	282
30	Goslin	248	29	Doby	253	30	Wertz	263	30	Colavito	268	30	Kluszewski	279
31	Wertz	247	29	Gordon	253	31	Thomas	257	31	Wertz	266	31	York	277
31	Stephens	247	32	Williams	251	32	Doby	253	32	Thomson	264	32	Killebrew	272
33	Wilson	244	33	Goslin	248	32	Gordon	253	33	Robinson	262	33	Wertz	266
34	Sievers	243	34	Stephens	247	34	Williams	251	34	Doby	253	34	Thomson	264
35	Campanella	242	35	Wilson	244	35	Goslin	248	35	Gordon	253	35	Gordon	253
35	Berger	242	36	Campanella	242	36	Stephens	247	36	Williams	251	35	Doby	253
37	Camilli	239	36	Berger	242	37	Colavito	246	37	Goslin	248	37	Williams	251
38	Averill	238	38	Adcock	241	38	Wilson	244	38	Stephens	247	38	Goslin	248
39	Zernial	237	39	Camilli	239	39	Campanella	242	39	Wilson	244	39	Stephens	247
40	Hartnett	236	40	Averill	238	39	Berger	242	40	Berger	242	40	Wilson	244
41	Nicholson	235	41	Zernial	237	41	Robinson	241	40	Campanella	242	41	Berger	242
42	Trosky	228	42	Hartnett	236	42	Camilli	239	42	Camilli	239	41	Campanella	242
43	Doerr	223	43	Nicholson	235	43	Averill	238	43	Averill	238	41	Boyer	242
44	Aaron	219	44	Trosky	228	44	Zernial	237	44	Zernial	237	44	Maris	240
44	Bottomley	219	45	Thomas	223	45	Hartnett	236	45	Hartnett	236	45	Camilli	239
46	Pafko	213	46	Doerr	223	46	Nicholson	235	46	Nicholson	235	46	Averill	238
47	Adcock	206	47	Bottomley	219	47	Trosky	228	47	Trosky	228	47	Zernial	237
48	Medwick	205	48	Pafko	213	48	Doerr	223	48	Doerr	223	48	Hartnett	236
49	Gordon	202	49	Colavito	209	49	Bottomley	219	48	Killebrew	223	49	Nicholson	235
49	Dickey	202	50	Medwick	205	50	Pafko	213	50	Bottomley	219	50	Kaline	232
			51	Robinson	202	51	Post	208	51	Boyer	218	51	Trosky	228
			51	Gordon	202	52	Bell	206	52	Kaline	215	52	Doerr	223
			51	Dickey	202	53	Medwick	205	53	Maris	214	53	Cepeda	222
			54	Bell	200	54	Gordon	202	54	Pafko	213	54	Bottomley	219
						54	Dickey	202	55	Post	210	55	Pafko	213
									56	Bell	206	56	Post	210
									57	Medwick	205	57	Bell	206
									58	Dickey	202	58	Medwick	205
									58	Gordon	202	59	Dickey	202
												59	Gordon	202
	1960			1961			1962			1963			1964