762 vs. 714: What the Home Run Record Really Tells Us

June 17, 2026May 29, 2024 by Jake Cain

Last Updated: June 17, 2026

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Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Jake Cain

Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds will forever be linked. Two of the greatest home run hitters the game has ever seen, these two giants thrilled fans and set records that seemed nearly impossible to break. But how do we compare two players from such different eras with such unique styles? Let’s dive in and see what made each of these players so iconic.

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Babe Ruth vs Barry Bonds — via Stathead

Early Careers and Breakthroughs

Babe Ruth

We all know Babe Ruth started his career as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1914, and was a pretty darn good one. He posted a 2.28 ERA and a win-loss record of 94–46. However, it was his bat that would make him a household name. By 1919, Ruth had transitioned to an outfielder for the New York Yankees and broke the MLB single-season home run record with 29 homers. His career hitting stats are staggering: a .342 batting average, 714 home runs, and 2,214 RBI.

Barry Bonds

Fast forward to the late 20th century, and Barry Bonds was making waves. Born in 1964, Bonds began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986, quickly establishing himself as a five-tool player. With the San Francisco Giants, where he played the majority of his career, Bonds set numerous records, most notably for career home runs (762) and single-season home runs (73 in 2001). His overall offensive stats include a .298 batting average, 1,996 RBI, and an astonishing 514 stolen bases.

Impact on the Game

Babe Ruth

Ruth’s impact on the game of baseball is immeasurable. He revolutionized the way the game was played, ushering in the live-ball era with his towering home runs and larger-than-life personality. He drew fans to the ballpark in droves and was instrumental in popularizing baseball as America’s pastime.

Barry Bonds

Bonds’ impact, while also significant, is more nuanced. He was a key figure in the steroid era, which complicates his legacy. Nonetheless, his on-field performance was undeniable. Bonds brought an unmatched combination of power and speed, becoming the only player to hit over 500 home runs and steal over 500 bases. His plate discipline and ability to draw walks were unprecedented, with an MLB record 2,558 career walks, including a single-season record of 232 in 2004.

Statistics Showdown

Home Runs

Babe Ruth: 714 career home runs
Barry Bonds: 762 career home runs

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1914	19	BOS	AL	5	10	10	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	.200	.200	.300	.500	50	3		0	0			/1H
1915	20	BOS	AL	42	103	92	16	29	10	1	4	20	0	0	9	23	.315	.376	.576	.952	189	53		0	2			1H
1916	21	BOS	AL	67	152	136	18	37	5	3	3	16	0		10	23	.272	.322	.419	.741	122	57		0	4			1H
1917	22	BOS	AL	52	142	123	14	40	6	3	2	14	0		12	18	.325	.385	.472	.857	162	58		0	7			1H
1918	23	BOS	AL	95	382	317	50	95	26	11	11	61	6		58	58	.300	.411	*.555*	*.966*	192	176		2	3			7138/H
1919	24	BOS	AL	130	544	432	*103*	139	34	12	29	*113*	7		101	58	.322	*.456*	*.657*	*1.114*	*217*	*284*		6	3			*71/3H8
1920	25	NYY	AL	142	617	458	*158*	172	36	9	54	*135*	14	14	*150*	80	.376	*.532*	*.847*	*1.379*	*255*	388		3	5			*978/31H
1921	26	NYY	AL	152	693	540	*177*	204	44	16	59	*168*	17	13	*145*	81	.378	*.512*	*.846*	*1.359*	239	*457*		4	4			*78/31H
1922	27	NYY	AL	110	496	406	94	128	24	8	35	96	2	5	84	80	.315	.434	.672	1.106	182	273		1	4			*79/3
1923	28	NYY	AL	152	699	522	*151*	205	45	13	41	*130*	17	21	*170*	93	.393	*.545*	*.764*	*1.309*	*239*	*399*		4	3			*97/83	MVP-1
1924	29	NYY	AL	153	681	529	*143*	200	39	7	46	124	9	13	*142*	81	.378	*.513*	.739	1.252	220	*391*		4	6		28	*97/8H
1925	30	NYY	AL	98	426	359	61	104	12	2	25	67	2	4	59	68	.290	.393	.543	.936	137	195		2	6		1	97
1926	31	NYY	AL	152	652	495	*139*	184	30	5	47	*153*	11	9	*144*	76	.372	*.516*	.737	1.253	226	*365*		3	10		13	*79/H3
1927	32	NYY	AL	151	691	540	*158*	192	29	8	60	165	7	5	*137*	89	.356	.486	*.772*	*1.258*	*225*	417		0	14		3	*97
1928	33	NYY	AL	154	684	536	*163*	173	29	8	54	146	4	5	*137*	87	.323	.463	*.709*	1.172	*206*	*380*		3	8		8	*97
1929	34	NYY	AL	135	588	499	121	172	26	6	46	154	5	3	72	60	.345	.430	.697	1.128	193	348		3	14		5	*97/H	MVP-9
1930	35	NYY	AL	145	676	518	150	186	28	9	49	153	10	10	*136*	61	.359	.493	.732	1.225	211	379		1	21		8	*97/1	MVP-10
1931	36	NYY	AL	145	663	534	149	199	31	3	46	162	5	4	*128*	51	.373	*.495*	*.700*	*1.195*	*218*	374		1	0		5	*97/H3	MVP-5
1932	37	NYY	AL	133	589	457	120	156	13	5	41	137	2	2	*130*	62	.341	*.489*	.661	1.150	201	302		2	0		4	*97/H3	MVP-6
1933	38	NYY	AL	137	576	459	97	138	21	3	34	104	4	5	*114*	90	.301	.442	.582	1.023	176	267		2	0		3	*97/H31	AS
1934	39	NYY	AL	125	472	365	78	105	17	4	22	84	1	3	104	63	.288	.448	.537	.985	160	196		2	0		1	*97H	AS
1935	40	BSN	NL	28	92	72	13	13	0	0	6	12	0	0	20	24	.181	.359	.431	.789	119	31	2	0	0		0	7/9H
22 Yrs				2503	10628	8399	2174	2873	506	136	714	2214	123	116	2062	1330	.342	.474	.690	1.164	206	5793	2	43	114		79
162 Game Avg.				162	688	544	141	186	33	9	46	143	8		133	86	.342	.474	.690	1.164	206	375		3	7
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
NYY (15 yrs)				2084	9203	7217	1959	2518	424	106	659	1978	110	116	1852	1122	.349	.484	.711	1.195	209	5131		35	95		79
BOS (6 yrs)				391	1333	1110	202	342	82	30	49	224	13	0	190	184	.308	.413	.568	.981	190	631		8	19
BSN (1 yr)				28	92	72	13	13	0	0	6	12	0	0	20	24	.181	.359	.431	.789	119	31	2	0	0		0

AL (21 yrs)				2475	10536	8327	2161	2860	506	136	708	2202	123	116	2042	1306	.343	.475	.692	1.167	207	5762		43	114		79
NL (1 yr)				28	92	72	13	13	0	0	6	12	0	0	20	24	.181	.359	.431	.789	119	31	2	0	0		0

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/24/2024.

Batting Average

Babe Ruth: .342 career batting average
Barry Bonds: .298 career batting average

RBIs

Babe Ruth: 2,214 career RBIs
Barry Bonds: 1,996 career RBIs

Stolen Bases

Babe Ruth: 123 career stolen bases
Barry Bonds: 514 career stolen bases

Standard Batting
Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
1986	21	PIT	NL	113	484	413	72	92	26	3	16	48	36	7	65	102	.223	.330	.416	.746	103	172	4	2	2	2	2	*8/H	RoY-6
1987	22	PIT	NL	150	611	551	99	144	34	9	25	59	32	10	54	88	.261	.329	.492	.821	114	271	4	3	0	3	3	*78H/9
1988	23	PIT	NL	144	614	538	97	152	30	5	24	58	17	11	72	82	.283	.368	.491	.859	148	264	3	2	0	2	14	*7H/8
1989	24	PIT	NL	159	679	580	96	144	34	6	19	58	32	10	93	93	.248	.351	.426	.777	126	247	9	1	1	4	22	*7/H
1990	25	PIT	NL	151	621	519	104	156	32	3	33	114	52	13	93	83	.301	.406	.565	.970	170	293	8	3	0	6	15	*7/H8	AS,MVP-1,GG,SS
1991	26	PIT	NL	153	634	510	95	149	28	5	25	116	43	13	107	73	.292	.410	.514	.924	160	262	8	4	0	13	25	*7/H8	MVP-2,GG,SS
1992	27	PIT	NL	140	612	473	109	147	36	5	34	103	39	8	*127*	69	.311	*.456*	*.624*	*1.080*	*204*	295	9	5	0	7	32	*7/H	AS,MVP-1,GG,SS
1993	28	SFG	NL	159	674	539	129	181	38	4	46	123	29	12	126	79	.336	.458	*.677*	*1.136*	*206*	*365*	11	2	0	7	43	*7/H	AS,MVP-1,GG,SS
1994	29	SFG	NL	112	474	391	89	122	18	1	37	81	29	9	74	43	.312	.426	.647	1.073	183	253	3	6	0	3	18	*7/H	AS,MVP-4,GG,SS
1995	30	SFG	NL	144	635	506	109	149	30	7	33	104	31	10	120	83	.294	.431	.577	1.009	170	292	12	5	0	4	22	*7/H	AS,MVP-12
1996	31	SFG	NL	158	675	517	122	159	27	3	42	129	40	7	*151*	76	.308	.461	.615	1.076	188	318	11	1	0	6	30	*7/H8	AS,MVP-5,GG,SS
1997	32	SFG	NL	159	690	532	123	155	26	5	40	101	37	8	*145*	87	.291	.446	.585	1.031	170	311	13	8	0	5	34	*7	AS,MVP-5,GG,SS
1998	33	SFG	NL	156	697	552	120	167	44	7	37	122	28	12	130	92	.303	.438	.609	1.047	178	336	15	8	1	6	29	*7/H	AS,MVP-8,GG
1999	34	SFG	NL	102	434	355	91	93	20	2	34	83	15	2	73	62	.262	.389	.617	1.006	156	219	6	3	0	3	9	7/DH	MVP-24
2000	35	SFG	NL	143	607	480	129	147	28	4	49	106	11	3	117	77	.306	.440	.688	1.127	*188*	330	6	3	0	7	22	*7/H	AS,MVP-2,SS
2001	36	SFG	NL	153	664	476	129	156	32	2	73	137	13	3	*177*	93	.328	*.515*	*.863*	*1.379*	*259*	411	5	9	0	2	35	*7/DH	AS,MVP-1,SS
2002	37	SFG	NL	143	612	403	117	149	31	2	46	110	9	2	*198*	47	*.370*	*.582*	*.799*	*1.381*	*268*	322	4	9	0	2	68	*7/DH	AS,MVP-1,SS
2003	38	SFG	NL	130	550	390	111	133	22	1	45	90	7	0	*148*	58	.341	*.529*	*.749*	*1.278*	*231*	292	7	10	0	2	61	*7/DH	AS,MVP-1,SS
2004	39	SFG	NL	147	617	373	129	135	27	3	45	101	6	1	*232*	41	.362	*.609*	*.812*	*1.422*	*263*	303	5	9	0	3	*120*	*7/HD	AS,MVP-1,SS
2005	40	SFG	NL	14	52	42	8	12	1	0	5	10	0	0	9	6	.286	.404	.667	1.071	174	28	0	0	0	1	3	7/H
2006	41	SFG	NL	130	493	367	74	99	23	0	26	77	3	0	115	51	.270	*.454*	.545	.999	156	200	9	10	0	1	38	*7H/D
2007	42	SFG	NL	126	477	340	75	94	14	0	28	66	5	0	*132*	54	.276	*.480*	.565	1.045	169	192	13	3	0	2	43	*7H/D	AS
22 Yrs				2986	12606	9847	2227	2935	601	77	762	1996	514	141	2558	1539	.298	.444	.607	1.051	182	5976	165	106	4	91	688
162 Game Avg.				162	684	534	121	159	33	4	41	108	28	8	139	83	.298	.444	.607	1.051	182	324	9	6	0	5	37
				G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
SFG (15 yrs)				1976	8351	6263	1555	1951	381	41	586	1440	263	69	1947	949	.312	.477	.666	1.143	199	4172	120	86	1	54	575
PIT (7 yrs)				1010	4255	3584	672	984	220	36	176	556	251	72	611	590	.275	.380	.503	.883	147	1804	45	20	3	37	113

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 5/24/2024.

Walks

Babe Ruth: 2,062 walks
Barry Bonds: 2,558 walks

Awards and Accolades

When it comes to awards, both players have an impressive collection.

Babe Ruth

2× All-Star (1933, 1934)
7× World Series champion (1915, 1916, 1918, 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932)
AL MVP (1923)
AL batting champion (1924)
12× AL home run leader (1918–1921, 1923, 1924, 1926–1931)
5× AL RBI leader (1919–1921, 1923, 1926)
AL ERA leader (1916)
Monumental records and Hall of Fame induction in 1936

Barry Bonds

14× All-Star (1990, 1992–1998, 2000–2004, 2007)
7× NL MVP (1990, 1992, 1993, 2001–2004)
8× Gold Glove Award (1990–1994, 1996–1998)
12× Silver Slugger Award (1990–1994, 1996, 1997, 2000–2004)
3× NL Hank Aaron Award (2001, 2002, 2004)
2× NL batting champion (2002, 2004)
2× NL home run leader (1993, 2001)
Career records for home runs and walks

Controversies and Legacy

Babe Ruth

Ruth’s career wasn’t without controversy. His off-field behavior, including drinking and womanizing, was well-documented, and he was notorious for his larger-than-life lifestyle. Despite this, he remains a beloved figure in American sports history, often considered the greatest baseball player of all time.

Barry Bonds

Bonds’ legacy is marred by steroid allegations. While he was never officially convicted of steroid use, the cloud of suspicion has significantly impacted his Hall of Fame candidacy. Despite his record-breaking performances, Bonds has not been elected to the Hall of Fame, largely due to these allegations.

Final Thoughts

Comparing Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds is always tough. Both players dominated their era in their own unique way. Ruth was the face of baseball’s golden age, a larger-than-life figure who popularized the game. Bonds, on the other hand, was a divisive figure whose unparalleled talent was overshadowed by controversies.

These two legends have left their mark on the game in ways that will be remembered for generations. Whether you’re a fan of Ruth’s classic heroics or Bonds’ modern dominance, there’s no denying the impact these two titans have had on the game of baseball.