Career Home Runs 1965-1969: Mays dominates.

This is the fourth 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.

qryHomeRunsCarYearPlayer

theYear	NameF	NameL	Rank	HRcar	ABcar	AB/HR	HRmax	Bat	Year1	YearL
1965	Willie	Mays	5	505	7594	15.04	52	R	1951	1965
1965	Eddie	Mathews	7	477	7597	15.93	47	L	1952	1965
1965	Mickey	Mantle	9	473	6894	14.58	54	B	1951	1965
1965	Ernie	Banks	11	404	6915	17.12	47	R	1953	1965
1965	Hank	Aaron	12	398	7080	17.79	45	R	1954	1965
1965	Frank	Robinson	20	324	5527	17.06	39	R	1956	1965
1965	Harmon	Killebrew	26	297	3828	12.89	49	R	1954	1965
1966	Willie	Mays	2	542	8146	15.03	52	R	1951	1966
1966	Mickey	Mantle	6	496	7227	14.57	54	B	1951	1966
1966	Eddie	Mathews	7	493	8049	16.33	47	L	1952	1966
1966	Hank	Aaron	10	442	7683	17.38	45	R	1954	1966
1966	Ernie	Banks	11	419	7426	17.72	47	R	1953	1966
1966	Frank	Robinson	13	373	6103	16.36	49	R	1956	1966
1966	Harmon	Killebrew	20	336	4397	13.09	49	R	1954	1966
1967	Willie	Mays	2	564	8632	15.30	52	R	1951	1967
1967	Mickey	Mantle	5	518	7667	14.80	54	B	1951	1967
1967	Eddie	Mathews	7	509	8485	16.67	47	L	1952	1967
1967	Hank	Aaron	9	481	8283	17.22	45	R	1954	1967
1967	Ernie	Banks	11	442	7999	18.10	47	R	1953	1967
1967	Frank	Robinson	13	403	6582	16.33	49	R	1956	1967
1967	Harmon	Killebrew	14	380	4944	13.01	49	R	1954	1967
1968	Willie	Mays	2	587	9130	15.55	52	R	1951	1968
1968	Mickey	Mantle	3	536	8102	15.12	54	B	1951	1968
1968	Eddie	Mathews	6	512	8537	16.67	47	L	1952	1968
1968	Hank	Aaron	8	510	8889	17.43	45	R	1954	1968
1968	Ernie	Banks	11	474	8551	18.04	47	R	1953	1968
1968	Frank	Robinson	12	418	7003	16.75	49	R	1956	1968
1968	Harmon	Killebrew	14	397	5239	13.20	49	R	1954	1968
1969	Willie	Mays	2	600	9533	15.89	52	R	1951	1969
1969	Hank	Aaron	3	554	9436	17.03	45	R	1954	1969
1969	Mickey	Mantle	4	536	8102	15.12	54	B	1951	1968
1969	Eddie	Mathews	7	512	8537	16.67	47	L	1952	1968
1969	Ernie	Banks	9	497	9116	18.34	47	R	1953	1969
1969	Frank	Robinson	12	450	7542	16.76	49	R	1956	1969
1969	Harmon	Killebrew	13	446	5794	12.99	49	R	1954	1969

1968 is the last season for Mantle and Mathews. Aaron passes them in 1969 and pursues Mays who has only 97 more at bats (AB) than Aaron. Banks will eventually finish tied at 512 with Mathews.

Willie Mays leads the seven in all five seasons 1965-1969. But the slugger who dominates in home run rate (AB/HR; lower is better) is Harmon Killebrew.

By 1969 only Ruth is ahead of Mays, Aaron, Mantle.

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.

	1965			1966			1967			1968			1969
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	Mays	542	2	Mays	564	2	Mays	587	2	Mays	600
3	Williams	521	3	Foxx	534	3	Foxx	534	3	Mantle	536	3	Aaron	554
4	Ott	511	4	Williams	521	4	Williams	521	4	Foxx	534	4	Mantle	536
5	Mays	505	5	Ott	511	5	Mantle	518	5	Williams	521	5	Foxx	534
6	Gehrig	493	6	Mantle	496	6	Ott	511	6	Mathews	512	6	Williams	521
7	Mathews	477	7	Gehrig	493	7	Mathews	509	7	Ott	511	7	Mathews	512
8	Musial	475	7	Mathews	493	8	Gehrig	493	8	Aaron	510	8	Ott	511
9	Mantle	473	9	Musial	475	9	Aaron	481	9	Gehrig	493	9	Banks	497
10	Snider	407	10	Aaron	442	10	Musial	475	10	Musial	475	10	Gehrig	493
11	Banks	404	11	Banks	419	11	Banks	442	11	Banks	474	11	Musial	475
12	Aaron	398	12	Snider	407	12	Snider	407	12	Robinson	418	12	Robinson	450
13	Hodges	370	13	Robinson	373	13	Robinson	403	13	Snider	407	13	Killebrew	446
14	Kiner	369	14	Hodges	370	14	Killebrew	380	14	Killebrew	397	14	Snider	407
15	DiMaggio	361	15	Kiner	369	15	Hodges	370	15	Colavito	374	15	Colavito	374
16	Mize	359	16	DiMaggio	361	16	Kiner	369	16	Hodges	370	16	Hodges	370
17	Berra	358	17	Mize	359	17	Colavito	366	17	Kiner	369	17	Kiner	369
18	Greenberg	331	18	Berra	358	18	DiMaggio	361	18	DiMaggio	361	18	DiMaggio	361
19	Colavito	328	18	Colavito	358	19	Mize	359	19	Mize	359	19	Mize	359
20	Robinson	324	20	Adcock	336	20	Berra	358	20	Berra	358	20	Berra	358
21	Sievers	318	20	Killebrew	336	21	Adcock	336	21	Adcock	336	21	Adcock	336
22	Adcock	318	22	Greenberg	331	22	Greenberg	331	22	Greenberg	331	22	Kaline	335
23	Simmons	307	23	Sievers	318	23	Sievers	318	23	Sievers	318	23	Greenberg	331
24	Hornsby	301	24	Simmons	307	24	Simmons	307	24	Kaline	314	24	Sievers	318
25	Klein	300	25	Hornsby	301	25	Kaline	304	25	Simmons	307	25	McCovey	313
26	Killebrew	297	26	Klein	300	26	Hornsby	301	26	Hornsby	301	26	Simmons	307
27	Johnson	288	27	Johnson	288	27	Klein	300	27	Klein	300	27	Cepeda	306
27	Ennis	288	27	Ennis	288	28	Johnson	288	28	Johnson	288	28	Hornsby	301
27	Sauer	288	27	Sauer	288	28	Ennis	288	28	Ennis	288	29	Klein	300
30	Thomas	286	30	Thomas	286	28	Sauer	288	28	Sauer	288	30	Howard	290
31	Kluszewski	279	31	Kluszewski	279	31	Thomas	286	31	Thomas	286	31	Johnson	288
32	York	277	31	Kaline	279	32	Kluszewski	279	32	Cepeda	284	31	Ennis	288
33	Wertz	266	33	York	277	33	York	277	33	Boyer	282	31	Sauer	288
34	Thomson	264	34	Boyer	269	34	Boyer	276	34	Kluszewski	279	34	Thomas	286
35	Boyer	255	35	Wertz	266	35	Maris	270	35	York	277	35	Boyer	282
36	Gordon	253	36	Thomson	264	36	Cepeda	268	36	Maris	275	35	Cash	282
36	Doby	253	37	Maris	261	37	Wertz	266	37	McCovey	268	37	Kluszewski	279
38	Williams	251	38	Gordon	253	38	Thomson	264	38	Wertz	266	38	York	277
39	Kaline	250	38	Doby	253	39	Gordon	253	39	Thomson	264	39	Maris	275
40	Goslin	248	40	Williams	251	39	Doby	253	40	Cash	260	40	Wertz	266
40	Maris	248	41	Goslin	248	41	Williams	251	41	Gordon	253	41	Thomson	264
42	Stephens	247	42	Stephens	247	42	Goslin	248	41	Doby	253	42	Allison	255
43	Wilson	244	43	Wilson	244	43	Stephens	247	43	Williams	251	43	Gordon	253
44	Berger	242	44	Cepeda	243	44	Wilson	244	44	Goslin	248	43	Doby	253
44	Campanella	242	45	Berger	242	45	Berger	242	45	Stephens	247	43	Santo	253
46	Camilli	239	45	Campanella	242	45	Campanella	242	45	Allison	247	46	Williams	251
47	Averill	238							47	Wilson	244	47	Williams	249
48	Zernial	237							48	Berger	242	48	Goslin	248
49	Hartnett	236							48	Campanella	242	49	Stephens	247
50	Nicholson	235							48	Howard	242	50	Wilson	244
51	Trosky	228										51	Berger	242
52	Doerr	223										51	Campanella	242
52	Cepeda	223
54	Stuart	220
55	Bottomley	219
56	Pafko	213
57	Post	210
58	Bell	206
59	Medwick	205
60	Skowron	204
61	Dickey	202
61	Gordon	202
	1965			1966			1967			1968			1969