Home Runs vs. Strikeouts

If a batter hits 47-48 homers a season, he’s going for the fences, right? And if he’s going for the fences, he’s going to strike out a lot, right? Well, yes, and no. In the case of Willie Stargell in 1971, he led the league with 48 homers and 154 strikeouts. Henry Aaron was second in roundtrippers with 47. However, Aaron fanned only 58 times, which is further confirmation that he had one of his best seasons ever in 1971.

The great contrast between Aaron and Stargell in strikeouts, 58 to 154, is fairly typical of the great sluggers of the past. Of those players hitting at least 47 four-baggers, Stargell fanned most frequently, more than three times as often as he blasted one out of the park. This surpassed the marks of Reggie Jackson and Harmon Killebrew in their biggest home run years.

Was there ever a player hitting 47 or more homers who fanned less than that? Yes, three. Johnny Mize did it once and Lou Gehrig and Ted Kluszewski did it twice. Gehrig had the all-tine beat season ratio when he hit 49 homers and fanned only 31 times in his Triple Crown season of 1934. Those players who have hit 47 or more homers in a season are listed below with the number of times they fanned that season. Asterisks indicate league leader.

 

Year	Player	HR	SO	Year	Player	HR	SO
1961	Roger Maris	61*	67	1936	Lou Gehrig	49*	46
1927	Babe Ruth	60*	89*	1954	Ted Kluszewski	49*	35
1921	Babe Ruth	59*	81	1962	Willie Nays	49*	85
1932	Jimmy Foxx	58*	96	1964	H. Killebrew	49*	135
1938	H. Greenberg	58*	92	1966	Frank Robinson	49*	90
1930	Hack Wilson	56*	84*	1969	H. Killebrew	49*	84
1920	Babe Ruth	54*	80	1933	Jimmy Foxx	48*	93*
1928	Babe Ruth	54*	87*	1962	H. Killebrew	48*	142*
1949	Ralph Kiner	54*	61	1969	Frank Howard	48	96
1961	Mickey Mantle	54	112	1971	Will Stargell	48*	154*
1956	Mickey Mantle	52*	99	1926	Babe Ruth	47*	76
1965	Willie Hays	52*	71	1927	Lou Gehrig	47	84
1947	Ralph Kiner	51*	81	1950	Ralph Kiner	47*	79
1947	Johnny Mize	51*	42	1953	Ed Mathews	47*	83
1955	Willie Mays	51*	60	1955	Ted Kluszewski	47*	40
1938	Jimmy Foxx	50	76	1958	Ernie Banks	47*	87
1930	Babe Ruth	49*	61	1964	Willie Hays	47*	72
1934	Lou Gehrig	49*	31	1969	Reggie Jackson	47	142*
				1971	Henry Aaron	47	58