The following is a list of the ten players (11 due to ties) with the most extra base hits in a season in baseball history. Getting 100 or more extra base hits in a season is an incredible feat which has only been accomplished 15 times in baseball history by 12 different players (three players did it twice).
I’ve listed every player who got 103 or more hits in a season in baseball history below. In addition, Rogers Hornsby had 102 extra base hits in 1922, while Lou Gehrig (1930), Jimmie Foxx (1932), and Luis Gonzalez (2001) all had 100 extra base hits in a season.
Most Extra Base Hits in a Season by Player in Baseball History
1. Babe Ruth (1921) – 119
Babe Ruth holds the major league baseball record for most extra base hits in a season with 119, which he accomplished during the 1921 season with the New York Yankees. Ruth broke his own record, which he set one year earlier in 1920 in his first season with the Yankees, by a whopping 20 extra base hits (he got 99 extra base hits in 1920).
In 1921, Babe Ruth had 59 home runs, 44 doubles, and 16 triples to account for his record number of 119 extra base hits. Ruth also had 171 RBIs, scored 177 runs, hit .385, had an on-base percentage of .512, and a slugging percentage of .846 in 1921. An amazing season.
The 1921 season was the only year that Babe Ruth cracked 100 in extra base hits, but he did have over 90 extra base hits in five other seasons. In addition to the 1920 season, Babe Ruth also had 99 extra base hits during the 1923 season.
2. Lou Gehrig (1927) – 117
Lou Gehrig had the second most extra base hits in a season in 1927, when he had 117 for the New York Yankees. Gehrig had 47 home runs, 52 doubles, and 18 triples in 1927 to account for his 117 extra base hits.
In 1930, also with the Yankees, Lou Gehrig had 100 extra base hits. He is one of only three players in baseball history to have two seasons with 100 or more extra base hits.
T-3. Barry Bonds (2001) – 107
In 2001, when he set the record for most home runs in a season with 73, Barry Bonds had 107 extra base hits for the third most in a season in baseball history. In addition to the 73 home runs, Barry Bonds had 32 doubles and two triples. Barry Bonds used steroids and other PEDs in his career.
T-3. Chuck Klein (1930) – 107
Chuck Klein is tied with Barry Bonds for the third most extra base hits in a season with 107. In 1930, Chuck Klein had 40 home runs, 59 doubles, and eight triples to account for his 107 extra base hits.
5. Todd Helton (2001) – 105
Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies had 105 extra base hits during the 2001 season. Helton had 49 home runs, 54 doubles, and two triples to account for the 105 extra base hits.
T-6. Sammy Sosa (2001) – 103
Sammy Sosa had 64 home runs, 34 doubles, and five triples during the 2011 season for 103 extra base hits. Sammy Sosa used PEDs during his career, and he was also caught using a corked bat.
T-6. Todd Helton (2000) – 103
One year prior to having 105 extra base hits in a season, Todd Helton had 103 extra base hits in 2000. Helton had 42 home runs, 59 doubles, and two triples in 2000. He is one of only three players in baseball history to have 100 or more extra base hits in a season twice.
T-6. Albert Belle (1995) – 103
Albert Belle had 50 home runs, 52 doubles, and one triple during the 1995 season with the Cleveland Indians. Belle denies it, but he was suspected of using steroids in his career, and he was also suspended by major league baseball for using a corked bat in his career.
T-6. Stan Musial (1948) – 103
Stan the Man Musial had 39 home runs, 46 doubles, and 18 triples for the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1948 season.
T-6. Hank Greenberg (1937) – 103
Hank Greenberg had 40 home runs, 49 doubles, and 14 triples during the 1937 season for the Detroit Tigers. Hank Greenberg also had 99 extra base hits in 1940, and 98 extra base hits in 1935. In 1934, Greenberg had 95 extra base hits, including 63 doubles, which is the fourth most for a season in baseball history.
T-6. Chuck Klein (1932) – 103
Chuck Klein had 38 home runs, 50 doubles, and 15 triples during the 1932 season. Chuck Klein is one of only three players to ever have 100 or more extra base hits in a season.
