Career Home Runs 1970-1974: Aaron passes Ruth.

This is the fifth and final in a series of posts that trace career home run leaders for seasons 1950-1974 when Hank Aaron passes Babe Ruth in career home runs. It highlights 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. Ruth held the career home run record from 1921 through 1973 and through 2019 is number 3 behind Barry Bonds (762) and Aaron (755).

Willie Mays led this group of seven 1965-1972. Aaron's home run rate (AB/HR; lower is better) improved with age, sort of like Bonds. Through:

1970: 16.81

1974: 15.86

qryHomeRunsCarYearPlayer

theYear	NameF	NameL	Rank	HRcar	ABcar	AB/HR	HRmax	Bat	Year1	YearL
1970	Willie	Mays	2	628	10011	15.94	52	R	1951	1970
1970	Hank	Aaron	3	592	9952	16.81	45	R	1954	1970
1970	Mickey	Mantle	4	536	8102	15.12	54	B	1951	1968
1970	Eddie	Mathews	7	512	8537	16.67	47	L	1952	1968
1970	Ernie	Banks	9	509	9338	18.35	47	R	1953	1970
1970	Harmon	Killebrew	11	487	6321	12.98	49	R	1954	1970
1970	Frank	Robinson	12	475	8013	16.87	49	R	1956	1970
1971	Willie	Mays	2	646	10428	16.14	52	R	1951	1971
1971	Hank	Aaron	3	639	10447	16.35	47	R	1954	1971
1971	Mickey	Mantle	4	536	8102	15.12	54	B	1951	1968
1971	Harmon	Killebrew	7	515	6821	13.24	49	R	1954	1971
1971	Eddie	Mathews	8	512	8537	16.67	47	L	1952	1968
1971	Ernie	Banks	8	512	9421	18.40	47	R	1953	1971
1971	Frank	Robinson	11	503	8468	16.83	49	R	1956	1971
1972	Hank	Aaron	2	673	10896	16.19	47	R	1954	1972
1972	Willie	Mays	3	654	10672	16.32	52	R	1951	1972
1972	Harmon	Killebrew	4	541	7254	13.41	49	R	1954	1972
1972	Mickey	Mantle	5	536	8102	15.12	54	B	1951	1968
1972	Frank	Robinson	7	522	8810	16.88	49	R	1956	1972
1972	Ernie	Banks	9	512	9421	18.40	47	R	1953	1971
1972	Eddie	Mathews	9	512	8537	16.67	47	L	1952	1968
1973	Hank	Aaron	2	713	11288	15.83	47	R	1954	1973
1973	Willie	Mays	3	660	10881	16.49	52	R	1951	1973
1973	Frank	Robinson	4	552	9344	16.93	49	R	1956	1973
1973	Harmon	Killebrew	5	546	7502	13.74	49	R	1954	1973
1973	Mickey	Mantle	6	536	8102	15.12	54	B	1951	1968
1973	Eddie	Mathews	9	512	8537	16.67	47	L	1952	1968
1973	Ernie	Banks	10	512	9421	18.40	47	R	1953	1971
1974	Hank	Aaron	1	733	11628	15.86	47	R	1954	1974
1974	Willie	Mays	3	660	10881	16.49	52	R	1951	1973
1974	Frank	Robinson	4	574	9821	17.11	49	R	1956	1974
1974	Harmon	Killebrew	5	559	7835	14.02	49	R	1954	1974
1974	Mickey	Mantle	6	536	8102	15.12	54	B	1951	1968
1974	Ernie	Banks	9	512	9421	18.40	47	R	1953	1971
1974	Eddie	Mathews	9	512	8537	16.67	47	L	1952	1968

Harmon Killebrew had the best home run rate among these seven through 1974: 14.02. One home run every 14 at bats (AB).

Beyond 1974, through:

Killebrew 1975: 14 home runs for the Kansas City Royals to 573

Aaron 1976: 22 home runs for the Milwaukee Brewers to 755

Robinson 1976: 12 home runs for the Cleveland Indians as player/manager to 586

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.

	1970			1971			1972			1973			1974
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	Aaron	733
2	Mays	628	2	Mays	646	2	Aaron	673	2	Aaron	713	2	Ruth	714
3	Aaron	592	3	Aaron	639	3	Mays	654	3	Mays	660	3	Mays	660
4	Mantle	536	4	Mantle	536	4	Killebrew	541	4	Robinson	552	4	Robinson	574
5	Foxx	534	5	Foxx	534	5	Mantle	536	5	Killebrew	546	5	Killebrew	559
6	Williams	521	6	Williams	521	6	Foxx	534	6	Mantle	536	6	Mantle	536
7	Mathews	512	7	Killebrew	515	7	Robinson	522	7	Foxx	534	7	Foxx	534
8	Ott	511	8	Mathews	512	8	Williams	521	8	Williams	521	8	Williams	521
9	Banks	509	8	Banks	512	9	Mathews	512	9	Mathews	512	9	Banks	512
10	Gehrig	493	10	Ott	511	9	Banks	512	10	Banks	512	9	Mathews	512
11	Killebrew	487	11	Robinson	503	11	Ott	511	11	Ott	511	11	Ott	511
12	Robinson	475	12	Gehrig	493	12	Gehrig	493	12	Gehrig	493	12	Gehrig	493
13	Musial	475	13	Musial	475	13	Musial	475	13	Musial	475	13	Musial	475
14	Snider	407	14	Snider	407	14	Snider	407	14	McCovey	413	14	McCovey	435
15	Colavito	374	15	Colavito	374	15	McCovey	384	15	Snider	407	15	Snider	407
16	Hodges	370	16	Hodges	370	16	Kaline	376	16	Kaline	386	16	Kaline	399
17	Kiner	369	16	McCovey	370	17	Colavito	374	17	Howard	382	17	Williams	392
18	DiMaggio	361	18	Kiner	369	18	Hodges	370	18	Cepeda	378	18	Howard	382
19	Mize	359	19	Kaline	366	18	Howard	370	19	Williams	376	19	Cepeda	379
20	Berra	358	20	DiMaggio	361	20	Kiner	369	20	Colavito	374	20	Cash	377
21	McCovey	352	21	Howard	360	21	DiMaggio	361	21	Hodges	370	21	Colavito	374
22	Kaline	351	22	Mize	359	22	Mize	359	21	Cash	370	22	Hodges	370
23	Cepeda	340	23	Berra	358	23	Berra	358	23	Kiner	369	23	Kiner	369
24	Adcock	336	24	Cepeda	354	23	Cepeda	358	24	DiMaggio	361	24	DiMaggio	361
25	Howard	334	25	Adcock	336	25	Williams	356	25	Mize	359	25	Mize	359
26	Greenberg	331	26	Greenberg	331	26	Cash	351	26	Berra	358	26	Berra	358
27	Sievers	318	27	Cash	329	27	Adcock	336	27	Santo	337	27	Stargell	346
28	Simmons	307	28	Williams	319	28	Greenberg	331	28	Adcock	336	28	Santo	342
29	Hornsby	301	29	Sievers	318	29	Sievers	318	29	Greenberg	331	29	Adcock	336
30	Klein	300	30	Simmons	307	30	Santo	317	30	Stargell	321	30	Greenberg	331
31	Cash	297	31	Hornsby	301	31	Simmons	307	31	Sievers	318	31	Allen	319
32	Williams	291	32	Klein	300	32	Hornsby	301	32	Simmons	307	32	Sievers	318
33	Johnson	288	32	Santo	300	33	Klein	300	33	Hornsby	301	33	Simmons	307
33	Ennis	288	34	Johnson	288	34	Johnson	288	34	Klein	300	34	Powell	303
33	Sauer	288	34	Ennis	288	34	Sauer	288	35	Powell	291	34	Yastrzemski	303
36	Thomas	286	34	Sauer	288	34	Ennis	288	36	Johnson	288	36	Hornsby	301
37	Boyer	282	37	Thomas	286	37	Thomas	286	36	Sauer	288	37	Klein	300
38	Kluszewski	279	38	Boyer	282	38	Boyer	282	36	Ennis	288	38	Johnson	288
38	Santo	279	39	Kluszewski	279	39	Powell	280	36	Yastrzemski	288	38	Ennis	288
40	York	277	40	York	277	40	Kluszewski	279	40	Allen	287	38	Sauer	288
41	Maris	275	41	Maris	275	41	York	277	41	Thomas	286	41	Thomas	286
42	Wertz	266	42	Wertz	266	41	Stargell	277	42	Boyer	282	42	Boyer	282
43	Thomson	264	43	Thomson	264	43	Maris	275	43	Kluszewski	279	43	Kluszewski	279
44	Allison	256	44	Powell	259	44	Allen	271	44	York	277	44	York	277
45	Gordon	253	45	Yastrzemski	257	45	Yastrzemski	269	45	Maris	275	45	Maris	275
45	Doby	253	46	Allison	256	46	Wertz	266	46	Wertz	266	46	Wertz	266
47	Williams	251	47	Gordon	253	47	Thomson	264	47	Thomson	264	47	Thomson	264
			47	Doby	253	48	Allison	256	48	Allison	256	48	Robinson	258
			49	Williams	251	49	Gordon	253	49	Gordon	253	49	Allison	256
						49	Doby	253	49	Doby	253	50	Wynn	255
						51	Williams	251	51	Williams	251	51	Gordon	253
									51	Robinson	251	51	Doby	253
												53	Pinson	252
												54	Williams	251
	1970			1971			1972			1973			1974