Sports & Fitness
The Most Career Home Runs in MLB History
Career regular-season home runs in Major League Baseball, as of October 11, 2026 (through the end of the 2026 regular season; playoff home runs are not counted). Barry Bonds holds the record, and no active player is in the top 22.
Pictured: Barry Bonds hitting his 756th career home run to pass Hank Aaron (August 7, 2007), #1 with 762.
As of October 11, 2026, through the end of the 2026 regular season, which finished on September 27. Regular-season home runs only: postseason home runs are excluded. All 22 players listed are retired, so these totals will not change; the highest active hitters, Giancarlo Stanton (456) and Mike Trout (426), are far short of the 521 needed for the table, and Aaron Judge’s final 2026 total could not be confirmed. Willie McCovey, Frank Thomas and Ted Williams are tied at 521, so all three are ranked 20th; Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews (512) are next. Primary team is the franchise with the most of the player’s home runs and is not verified for every row.[1]
The Top 10
#1
Barry Bonds — 762 home runs
Bonds hit No. 756 off the Nationals’ Mike Bacsik on August 7, 2007, at AT&T Park, passing Hank Aaron, and finished at 762 in 22 seasons with the Pirates and Giants.[2] His career has been shadowed by the BALCO investigation and allegations of performance-enhancing drug use, which he has denied knowingly using; MLB lists the record without qualification.[3]
#2
Hank Aaron — 755 home runs
Aaron passed Babe Ruth on April 8, 1974, with his 715th home run at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, a record that stood until Bonds broke it in 2007.[4] Most of his 755 came with the Braves franchise, and his last two seasons were with the Milwaukee Brewers.[5]
#3
Babe Ruth — 714 home runs
Ruth’s 714th and final home run came on May 25, 1935, at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, one of three he hit that day for the Boston Braves.[6] His mark was the career record until Aaron passed it in 1974.[4]
#4
Albert Pujols — 703 home runs
Pujols reached 700 on September 23, 2022, at Dodger Stadium, hitting 699 and 700 the same night, and became the fourth player to do so.[7] He retired after the 2022 season with 703.
#5
Alex Rodriguez — 696 home runs
Rodriguez hit No. 600 on August 4, 2010, and his 696th on July 18, 2016, against the Orioles, his last full season.[8] He served a season-long suspension in 2014 for violating MLB’s drug policy, and returned to hit 65 more homers across 2015 and 2016.[9]
#6
Willie Mays — 660 home runs
Mays hit No. 600 on September 22, 1969, becoming the second player to reach that mark after Ruth, and finished with 660.[10] He missed almost two seasons to military service in his prime.[10]
#7
Ken Griffey Jr. — 630 home runs
Griffey hit No. 600 on June 9, 2008, a two-run shot for the Reds in Florida.[11] He retired in 2010 with 630 homers.
#8
Jim Thome — 612 home runs
Thome hit Nos. 599 and 600 in the same game on August 15, 2011, against the Tigers, and later retired with 612.[12] He also holds the MLB record of 13 walk-off home runs.[13]
#9
Sammy Sosa — 609 home runs
Sosa hit No. 600 on June 20, 2007, for the Rangers against his old Cubs, becoming the fifth player to reach 600.[14] A 2009 news report said he was among players who tested positive in a 2003 survey test; he has denied using performance-enhancing drugs knowingly.[15]
#10
Frank Robinson — 586 home runs
Robinson hit his 500th on September 13, 1971, for the Orioles, and finished with 586.[16] He won MVP awards in both leagues, with the Reds in 1961 and the Orioles in 1966.[16]
Sources
- Baseball-Reference, Career Leaders & Records for Home Runs, as the primary source; cross-checked against Baseball Data Hub, Legion Report’s all-time top 25, MLB.com and the ESPN career batting leaders (top five: Bonds 762, Aaron 755, Ruth 714, Pujols 703, Rodriguez 696). Ranks 18–22 (Mantle, Foxx, McCovey, Thomas, Williams) come from Baseball Data Hub and Baseball Almanac; Wikipedia’s list of career home run leaders was also consulted. Years active, team names and the primary-team column were compiled with less checking than the home run totals. Active-player totals (Stanton 456, Trout 426, Goldschmidt 390) come from a list updated September 29, 2026.
- YouTube, MLB, “Bonds breaks Aaron’s record with No. 756”; MLB.com, “Bonds breaks Aaron’s record”; ESPN, “Bonds moves into eternity, assumes MLB home run record”.
- ABC News, “The Home Run Record: 756 or 756*?”; MLB.com, “Bonds’ record HR honored on 10th anniversary”.
- YouTube, “Vin Scully calls Hank Aaron’s historic 715th home run”; MLB.com, “Monday marks 50 years since Hank Aaron’s 715th home run”.
- MLB.com, “Each team’s all-time home run leader” (Aaron, 733 for the Braves).
- YouTube, “May 25 1935 Babe Ruth hits his final 3 homeruns including the last one out of Forbes Field”.
- YouTube, “Albert Pujols hits his 700th career home run” and related coverage of the September 23, 2022 game.
- YouTube, MLB, “A-Rod connects on his 600th career homer” and “BAL@NYY: Rodriguez crushes career home run No. 696”.
- Search summaries of news coverage of Rodriguez’s 2014 suspension; the suspension detail was not re-checked against a primary source.
- YouTube, “Mays hits his 600th career home run”; Willie Mays tribute videos (660 homers; military service).
- YouTube, “CIN@FLA: Ken Griffey Jr. smashes his 600th career homer” (June 9, 2008).
- YouTube, “Jim Thome belts home runs number 599 and 600 against the Tigers” (August 15, 2011).
- YouTube, “Jim Thome hit an MLB record 13 walk-off homers”.
- YouTube, “CHC@TEX: Sosa hits his 600th career home run” (June 20, 2007).
- Search summaries of 2009 news coverage of Sosa’s reported 2003 test; not re-checked against a primary source.
- YouTube, “DET@BAL: Frank Robinson hits 500th home run” (September 13, 1971); Baseball Hall of Fame biography clips.