Baseball's Best Decade (12 page)

Two players whose power number benefitted from a move to the American League: Frank Robinson (left) hit 316 home runs during the 1960s, 126 after being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 1965. Frank Howard averaged 24 home runs per season with the Dodgers from 1960-1964, then averaged 33 home runs with the Washington Senators from 1965-1969.

1950s –
For the first time since the end of the Dead Ball Era, the New York Yankees were not the leading home run hitting team in the 1950s. The Brooklyn Dodgers (Los Angeles Dodgers by the end of the decade), led by Duke Snider and Gil Hodges, the two most prolific home run hitters of the 1950s, led all major league teams in home runs. The Dodgers were the National League home run leaders 6 consecutive seasons, from 1950 to 1955. The Yankees weren’t even number one among American League teams. The Cleveland Indians topped all American League clubs, leading the league in home runs 6 different seasons.

Who almost made the list?
Cincinnati Reds at 1,477, Chicago Cubs at 1,475, Boston Red Sox at 1,334.

1960s –
During the 1960s, the Detroit Tigers hit more home runs in a decade than any team before, and more than any team would hit until the 1990s. The Tigers had three players (Al Kaline, Rocky Colavito and Norm Cash) each with more than 200 homers during the decade, and led the American League in home runs 3 times (as did the Boston Red Sox).

Who almost made the list?
Boston Red Sox at 1,529, Baltimore Orioles at 1,842, Cincinnati Reds at 1,435.

1970s –
The Boston Red Sox broke out the big clubs in the 1970s, leading all of baseball in home runs and runs scored during the decade. Boston led the American League in home runs 3 times, and fell one home run short of making it a fourth. The “Big Red Machine” from Cincinnati finished second to the Red Sox over the decade, though the Reds led the National League in home runs only twice (compared to 3 times by the Los Angeles Dodgers).

Who almost made the list?
Oakland Athletics at 1,333, Pittsburgh Pirates at 1,306, Milwaukee Brewers at 1,300.

The Top Tea
m Home Runs for Each Decade (1980s-2000s)

1980s –
Only 41 home runs, over a 10-year span, separated the Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees as the top home run teams of the 1980s. The Tigers led the American League in home runs 3 times during the 1980s, while the Orioles did it twice (as did the Milwaukee Brewers). The National League team with the most home runs during the decade was the Chicago Cubs, whose 1,293 total ranked them 10th among major league teams.

Who almost made the list?
California Angels at 1,454, Boston Red Sox at 1,423, Milwaukee Brewers at 1,373.

1990s –
Baseball’s greatest home run decade of the Twentieth Century came in the century’s closing decade. Four of the top 5 home run hitting teams for the decade – all American League clubs – had totals that topped the previous high set by the Detroit Tigers of the 1960s. For the first time in baseball history, every team that played the full decade hit more than 1,000 home runs.

Who almost made the list?
Cleveland Indians at 1,676, Detroit Tigers at 1,642, Toronto Blue Jays at 1,634.

2000s –
The home run avalanche didn’t stop at the turn of the century. The 2000s saw major league baseball break the 50,000 home run barrier, increasing its total by 26.7% over the previous high of the 1990s. The Texas Rangers led the American League in home run 4 times, while the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox led the league 3 times each. The Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs each led the National League in home runs twice.

Who almost made the list?
Cleveland Indians at 1,880, St. Louis Cardinals at 1,848, Chicago Cubs at 1,840.

The Top
RBI Producers for Each Decade (1920s-1940s)

Prior to 1920, RBIs were not an official league statistic. The first “official” RBI champion was Babe Ruth with 137 that year, a record he smashed in 1921 with 171 RBIs.

The record for most RBIs in a game is shared by a pair of St. Louis Cardinals. First baseman “Sunny Jim” Bottomley (above) and outfielder Mark Whiten each knocked in 12 runs in a single game, Bottomley in 1924 and Whiten in 1993.