Advertisement

Select Company

Share

Johnny Mize, the Hall of Fame baseball player who died at 80 Wednesday, is on one of baseball’s very short lists, being one of 11 players who hit 50 home runs in a major league season.

THE 50-HOME RUN CLUB

N0. PLAYER YEAR HR 1. Roger Maris 1961 61 2. Babe Ruth 1927 60 3. Babe Ruth 1921 59 4. Hank Greenberg 1938 58 Jimmie Foxx 1932 58 6. Hack Wilson 1930 56 7. Babe Ruth 1920 54 Mickey Mantle 1961 54 Babe Ruth 1928 54 Ralph Kiner 1949 54 11. Mickey Mantle 1956 52 Willie Mays 1965 52 George Foster 1977 52 14.Ralph Kiner 1947 51 Willie Mays 1955 51 Johnny Mize 1947 51 Cecil Fielder 1990 51 18. Jimmie Foxx 1938 50

A 6-foot-2, 215-pound power hitter who played with the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Giants and New York Yankees between 1936 and 1953, Mize hit 359 home runs in 15 seasons, 51 of them in 1947 with the Giants. He led the American League in pinch-hits for three straight seasons, from 1951 to 1953, with a high of 19. He delivered key pinch-hits for the Yankees in five post-war World Series.And 30 times he hit two or more homers in a game. On four occasions, he hit three consecutive homers in games.

Advertisement
Advertisement