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This is a list as of August 25, 2012 of the top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters. In the sport of baseball, a home run is a hit in which the batter scores by circling all the bases and reaching home plate in one play, without the benefit of a fielding error. This can be accomplished either by hitting the ball out of play while it is still in fair territory (a conventional home run), or by an inside the park home run.
Barry Bonds holds the Major League Baseball home run record with 762. He passed Hank Aaron, who is currently second with 755, on August 7, 2007. The only other player to have hit 700 or more is Babe Ruth with 714. Willie Mays (660), Alex Rodriguez (644), Ken Griffey, Jr. (630), Jim Thome (611), and Sammy Sosa (609) are the only other players to have hit 600 or more.
Bonds' total was limited by teams essentially refusing to sign him for the 2008 season. Ruth's total was limited by the fact that he spent the early part of his career as a pitcher. Mays' total was limited by spending a few years in the Army during the Korean War, and by playing for 12 years in Candlestick Park.
The current cutoff for the top 500 is 139 career home runs. The most recent addition to the list was Ian Kinsler on August 25, 2012. 2012 additions include Kinsler, Ryan Ludwick, Mike Napoli, Kevin Youkilis,Ryan Zimmerman, Jhonny Peralta, Edwin Encarnacion, Brandon Phillips, Corey Hart, A.J. Pierzynski, Josh Hamilton, Matt Kemp, Hanley Ramirez and Josh Willingham.
List[]
Listed are all Major League Baseball players with 139 or more home runs hit during official regular season games (i.e., excluding playoffs or exhibition games), the current cutoff for the top 500 (includes ties for the top 500, whenever applicable).