<P> Ruth set the Major League Baseball single - season home run record four times , first at 29 ( 1919 ) , then 54 ( 1920 ) , 59 ( 1921 ) , and finally 60 ( 1927 ) . Ruth 's 1920 and 1921 seasons are tied for the widest margin of victory for a home run champion as he topped the next highest total by 35 home runs in each season . The single season mark of 60 stood for 34 years until Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961 . Maris ' mark was broken 37 years later by both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during the 1998 home run record chase , with McGwire ultimately setting the mark at 70 . Barry Bonds , who also has the most career home runs , set the current single season record of 73 in 2001 . The 1998 and 2001 seasons each had 4 players hit 50 or more home runs -- Greg Vaughn , Ken Griffey , Jr. , Sosa , and McGwire in 1998 and Alex Rodriguez , Luis Gonzalez , Sosa , and Bonds in 2001 . A player has hit 50 or more home runs 42 times , 25 times since 1990 . The lowest home run total to lead a major league was four , recorded in the NL by Lip Pike in 1877 and Paul Hines in 1878 . </P>
<P> Ruth set the Major League Baseball single - season home run record four times , first at 29 ( 1919 ) , then 54 ( 1920 ) , 59 ( 1921 ) , and finally 60 ( 1927 ) . Ruth 's 1920 and 1921 seasons are tied for the widest margin of victory for a home run champion as he topped the next highest total by 35 home runs in each season . The single season mark of 60 stood for 34 years until Roger Maris hit 61 home runs in 1961 . Maris ' mark was broken 37 years later by both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during the 1998 home run record chase , with McGwire ultimately setting the mark at 70 . Barry Bonds , who also has the most career home runs , set the current single season record of 73 in 2001 . The 1998 and 2001 seasons each had 4 players hit 50 or more home runs -- Greg Vaughn , Ken Griffey , Jr. , Sosa , and McGwire in 1998 and Alex Rodriguez , Luis Gonzalez , Sosa , and Bonds in 2001 . A player has hit 50 or more home runs 42 times , 25 times since 1990 . The lowest home run total to lead a major league was four , recorded in the NL by Lip Pike in 1877 and Paul Hines in 1878 . </P>
who has the most homeruns in baseball history
who has the most homeruns in baseball history
Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds