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Cal Raleigh hit his 60th home run last night. It has started a firestorm of debate as to who should win the MVP. But does hitting 60 home runs guarantee you an MVP? Nope.
Hitting 60 home runs in a season is one of baseball’s greatest, and rarest, feats. From Babe Ruth’s groundbreaking 60 in 1927 to Aaron Judge’s AL-mark-smashing 62 in 2022, all the players who have reached this milestone are names that you are familiar with.
In this blog, I’ll go into nine seasons where players eclipsed 60 homers, exploring their stats, team success, and the MVP voting that followed. Spoiler: It’s not always about the long ball, team performance, rival chases, and voter biases often stole the show.
Ruth and Maris Set the Bar
Babe Ruth’s 1927 Rampage
In the 1920'‘s, Babe Ruth redefined the game. The league went from small ball to hitting for the fences in a decade. In 1927, Ruth smashed 60 home runs for the New York Yankees, Ruth shattered his own previous records and led the “Murderers’ Row” lineup. The Yankees finished with a staggering 110-44 record, clinching the AL pennant and sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.
Yet, despite his heroics, Ruth didn’t snag the MVP equivalent, the AL “League Award.” Why? League rules made him ineligible after his 1923 win, and voters overwhelmingly favored teammate Lou Gehrig, who racked up 173 RBIs and earned 56 out of 64 points. Tony Lazzeri snuck in a single vote, but Ruth’s ineligibility was the primary factor behind Gehrig winning. Frankly, Gehrig was deserving and had a very similar season to Ruth, outside the 60 bombs.
Roger Maris Breaks Through in 1961
Fast-forward to 1961, and Roger Maris was in a race with Mickey Mantle to see who could reach 60 first. Maris would eventually prevail with 61 homers, edging out Ruth’s AL record amid immense pressure. (Look at before and after photos online)
Teaming up with Mantle (who hit 54 himself), Maris’s chase became a national spectacle. The Yankees dominated with a 109-53 record, winning the AL and dispatching the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series.
This time, the home run king got his due: Maris claimed the AL MVP with 7 first-place votes and 202 points, narrowly beating Mantle (198 points) despite The Mick’s stronger overall stats.
This is probably the most similar comp to what is happening right now.
The Steroid-Era Slugfests: McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds.
Depending on where you fall on the steroid debate, you either count these seasons or you don’t. Being that MLB has no asterisks on these seasons, I will count them.
The 1998 Duel: McGwire’s 70 vs. Sosa’s MVP
Mark McGwire’s 70 homers for the St. Louis Cardinals shattered the MLB record and drew worldwide attention. But his Cardinals limped to an 83-79 record, finishing third in the NL Central and missing the playoffs.
Enter Sammy Sosa, who blasted 66 homers and led the league with 158 RBIs for the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs went 90-73, snagging the NL Wild Card before bowing out in the NLDS. Sosa’s all-around impact and playoff push earned him a landslide MVP: 30 of 32 first-place votes and 438 points. It was very much a case of voters choosing who made a bigger impact on their team NOT who the better player was.
1999: Sosa and McGwire Plummet
McGwire followed up with 65 homers (leading MLB) and 147 RBIs, but the Cardinals slumped to 75-86 and third place. Voters looked elsewhere, awarding the NL MVP to Atlanta’s Chipper Jones (45 HRs, division title) with 29 first-place votes. McGwire? A distant fifth with 115 points.
Sosa kept pace with 63 homers, but the Cubs cratered to 67-95 and fourth place. He finished ninth in MVP voting (87 points), as contenders like Jones and the Braves took center stage.
2001: Sosa’s 64 and Bonds’s Record-Breaker
In 2001, Sosa cranked 64 homers and an MLB-leading 160 RBIs in 2001, powering the Cubs to 88-74 and an NL Wild Card spot (lost in NLDS). This was the third time that Sosa had hit for 60 home runs, still a record. It was historic, but Barry Bonds’s 73 homers, the new MLB single-season record, stole the thunder. Sosa grabbed the other 2 first-place votes but finished second with 278 points.
Bonds, with the San Francisco Giants, led in walks, slugging, and total bases, helping his team to 90-72 record. His dominance earned a near-unanimous MVP: 30 first-place votes and 438 points.
Aaron Judge in 2022
Aaron Judge’s 2022 season, is considered by many, to be one of three “True” 60 home run seasons. His 62 homers broke Maris’s 61-year AL record, leading MLB in runs (133), RBIs (131), on-base percentage, slugging, and total bases. The Yankees rolled to 99-63, winning the AL East before falling to the Astros in the ALCS.
Judge’s MVP was a no-brainer: 28 of 30 first-place votes and 410 points, outpacing Shohei Ohtani (302) and Yordan Alvarez (274). 2022 is arguably Ohtani’s best season as , but it wasn’t enough.
Breaking It Down
I had Grok make a simple little chart for us just to simplify everything. Will Cal Raleigh win MVP? I hope so, but he probably won’t. The fact that there is precedent for a player hitting 60 and not winning does not help his cause. The biggest thing going for him is that he is a catcher. There is no catcher season that has come close to what he is doing.
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