Babe Ruth became the first MLB player to hit 50 home runs in a season in 1920.
Ruth reached the milestone on September 24, 1920, during his first season with the New York Yankees. He finished that campaign with 54 home runs, shattering the previous major-league single-season record of 29, which he had set with the Boston Red Sox in 1919. The achievement helped define the beginning of baseball’s live-ball era and changed how the sport valued power hitting.
The year is easy to confuse with 1921 and 1927, when Ruth again produced extraordinary home-run totals. He hit 59 in 1921 and 60 in 1927, the latter setting another record. Ruth’s 1920 season was especially important because it was his first Yankees season and established him as baseball’s dominant slugger.