Why We MUST Include Playoff Home Runs in Player’s Overall Home Run Totals

It’s October, the month where the air gets chillier, baseball gets more intense and home runs mean everything. While watching the games and seeing Schwarber launch bombs onto the moon, I began to wonder why the MLB doesn’t count these home runs into the player’s total home run count for their career. I mean they are home runs, in MLB games, if anything they should count for more! Even on the internet I couldn’t find a list that had the leaders in home runs with their playoff slams, so I decided to compile the top 30 sluggers with their playoff home runs included in their total. The results may surprise ya (especially the end of the list).

For reference here is the original list of sluggers with their home run totals, excluding playoff blasts:

Barry Bonds – 762
Hank Aaron – 755
Babe Ruth – 714
Albert Pujols – 703
Alex Rodriguez – 696
Willie Mays – 660
Ken Griffey Jr – 630
Jim Thome – 612
Sammy Sosa – 609
Frank Robinson – 586
Mark McGwire – 583
Harmon Killebrew – 573
Rafael Palmeiro – 569
Reggie Jackson – 563
Manny Ramirez – 555
Mike Schmidt – 548
David Ortiz – 541
Mickey Mantle – 536
Jimmie Foxx – 534
Willie McCovey – 521
Frank Thomas – 521
Ted Williams – 521
Ernie Banks – 512
Eddie Mathews – 512
Miguel Cabrera – 511
Mel Ott – 511
Gary Sheffield – 509
Eddie Murray – 504
Lou Gehrig – 493
Fred McGriff – 493

Now that that’s out of the way, lets break down the sluggers with their playoff home runs included (the real totals, how it’s supposed to be):

Barry Bonds – 762 + 9 = 771
Hank Aaron – 755 + 6 = 761
Babe Ruth – 714 + 15 = 729
Albert Pujols – 703 + 19 = 722
Alex Rodriguez – 696 + 13 = 709

Alright, so Top 5 is all chalk, but, and a big but, A Rod becomes the fifth player to reach 700 home runs. Steroids or not, that’s a significant accomplishment that should be counted as such. Petition for A-Rod to be in the 700 Home Run club starts now. Fuck A-Rod, but it is how it should be.

6. Willie Mays – 660 + 1 = 661 7. Ken Griffey Jr – 630 + 6 = 636 8. Jim Thome – 612 + 17 = 629 9. Sammy Sosa – 609 + 2 = 611 10. Frank Robinson – 586 + 10 =596

The second 10 stay the same, but boy was Frank Robinson close to that 600^th home run. Also had no idea Willie Mays couldn’t get it done in October. Always thought he was one of the clutch ones, maybe they didn’t go to the playoffs that much. Who knew that Thome absolutely raked in the playoffs? I feel like I grew up in the Thome era, had his jersey with the Phillies, and I hardly even remember him the playoffs.

11. Mark McGwire – 583 + 5 =588 12. Manny Ramirez – 555 + 29 = 584 13. Reggie Jackson – 563 + 18 = 581 14. Harmon Killebrew – 573 + 3 = 576 15. Rafael Palmeiro – 569 + 4 = 573

11 – 15 is when it starts to get a little crazy. Manny Ramirez is the king of the October long ball with 27 blasts (a lot of them for my Red Sox) and he is able to leap three people in front of him. Reggie Jackson, also known for his heroics in the last month of baseball, is able to jump over Rafael Palmeiro and Harmon Killebrew to claim the 13^th spot on the all-time list. These five have a lot of steroid use in them (Palmeiro, Manny, McGwire), but chicks do love the long ball, so fuck it.

16. David Ortiz – 541 + 17 = 558 17. Mickey Mantle – 536 + 18 = 554 18. Mike Schmidt – 548 + 4 = 552 19. Jimmie Foxx – 534 + 4 = 538 20. Willie McCovey – 521 + 3 = 524

The greatest clutch hitter of all time and gunshot survivor is able to slide on passed Mike Schmidt for the 16^th spot on the list. Mickey Mantle played in so many playoff games he was bound to move passed someone and he also passes Schmidt but is unable to get around Big Papi (Suck it, Yankee fans).

21. Frank Thomas – 521 + 3 = 524 22. Miguel Cabrera – 511 + 13 = 524 23. Ted Williams – 521 + 0 = 521 24. Eddie Mathews – 512 + 1 = 513 25. Mel Ott – 511 + 4 = 515

This group of five I found the most interesting out of all of them. Ted Williams with zero, zilch, no home runs in the postseason. One of the greatest hitters ever never watching that ball soar thru the October night has me considering what could be happening in front of our eyes with Shohei right now (don’t worry he’ll leave the Angels and we’ll see his bombs in the playoffs). Williams having no home runs allows Frank Thomas to break his tie with him and take a tie for 20^th . Miggy slides passed Eddie Mathews and Williams and into a tie for 20th all time with Frank Thomas and Willie McCovey. Missing from this list who was originally here is Ernie Banks who you’ll see in the next list.

26. Gary Sheffield – 509 + 6 = 515 27. Eddie Murray – 504 + 9 = 513 28. Ernie Banks – 512 + 0 = 512 29. Lou Gehrig – 493 + 10 = 503 30. Fred McGriff – 493 + 10 + 503

The last five on this list are why we need to include playoff homeruns in player’s actual home run totals. Lou Gehrig and Fred McGriff get the nod and make it into the 500 Home Run Club. I mean could you imagine the ceremony they’d have at Yankee Stadium as they posthumously enter Lou Gehrig into the Club. There would be tears everywhere. Then we go to Fred McGriff and wonder why it took him so long to get into the Hall of Fame. He is, by my standards at least, a guy who hit 500 home runs over the course of his career, which is a guarantee to get into Cooperstown (unless you’re juicing). It took the guy 14 years to get in, that’s crazy!!!! Well, he got in anyway, but seriously let’s include playoff home runs in overall totals so I don’t have to make blogs about it anymore. Thank you, Commissioner Manfred, from Michael.

Ernie Banks slides all the way to number 28, down 5 spots from his original place in the case of another former great with absolutely zero home runs in the postseason.