The Top 13 MLB Stars With the Most Postseason Home Runs
The Fall Classic is just around the bend, and new heroes are set to etch their names in the history books. Major League Baseball’s postseason is littered with moments that grow in legend throughout the years, and the surest way to create a magic moment is through the long ball.
A postseason home run has the ability to build an individual legacy, and some of the biggest names to ever wear a pair of cleats have seen that firsthand.
These 13 players were among the best postseason performers in MLB history, with many helping lead their teams to rings through the long ball.
1. Manny Ramirez (29)
Manny Ramirez was one of baseball’s most colorful figures during his playing days, but “Manny Being Manny” meant a lot more than his on-field shenanigans.
Ramirez is the most prolific postseason slugger of all time, with 29 career postseason homers. His towering walk-off homer in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Los Angeles Angels may be his most memorable, but he also hit one in the 2004 World Series en route to being named World Series MVP. Even if his reputation may be in question due to performance-enhancing drug (PED) usage, his sheer postseason power has yet to be matched.
2. Jose Altuve (27)
Surely, the second-most home runs in postseason history would have been hit by a second baseman, right?
Jose Altuve may stand just 5-foot-6, but he’s full of fury once October rolls around. The two-time World Series champion has had his Hall of Fame resume defined by his playoff performances, complete with an iconic walk-off home run in Game 6 of the 2019 American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees. He’s also one of a select few to hit three home runs in a single playoff game, doing so in Game 1 of the 2017 ALDS.
At just 34, he is in prime position to become baseball’s leader for postseason homers.
3. Bernie Williams (22)
Bernie Williams hit more than 20 homers in just seven seasons out of his 16-year career. However, his postseason total of 22 provides context as to why he was one of the most important players of the New York Yankees dynasty years.
His extra-inning walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS against the Baltimore Orioles led him to ALCS MVP honors, and was a catalyst in the Yankees winning their first title since 1978. He’d also hit a game-winner in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. Williams would ultimately lead the Yankees to four World Series wins during his tenure in the Bronx.
T-4. Derek Jeter (20)
Williams did not accomplish that feat alone, though. Derek Jeter was hardly known as a regular-season power threat, but he hit some of the most clutch home runs in franchise history when it mattered most.
Jeter also had a memorable home run in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS for the Yankees before Williams walked it off, but his most iconic moment came in Game 4 of the 2001 World Series. There, in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedies, Jeter hit a walk-off home run as the clock struck midnight into November to give the Yankees a 4-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The homer would earn Jeter the moniker of “Mr. November.”
T-4. Kyle Schwarber (20)
Kyle Schwarber’s speed in reaching 20 career postseason homers is remarkable, accomplishing the feat in just 259 at-bats.
Schwarber would hit six home runs in the playoffs during his tenure with the Cubs, but his run in the 2022 and 2023 playoffs with the Phillies saw him turn into a baseball-mashing monster. He would hit 11 home runs across three series in that span, including five in the 2023 National League Championship Series. With Philadelphia headed toward the playoffs again, Schwarber has plenty of time to add to his totals.
T-6. Corey Seager (19)
If this list proves anything, it’s that middle infielders are capable of showcasing plenty of power when it matters most. Corey Seager is no exception.
The shortstop had 13 career postseason home runs with the Los Angeles Dodgers, including five in the 2020 NLCS against the Atlanta Braves. He’d go on to sign with the Texas Rangers and lead them to their first World Series title in 2023. Seager hit six home runs during that run, cementing himself as not just one of the best young players in the game, but a postseason hero.
T-6. Albert Pujols (19)
Albert Pujols had plenty of home runs during his Hall of Fame-caliber career, yet some of his biggest came during the playoffs.
Pujols most notably smacked three home runs in Game 3 of the 2011 World Series against the Rangers, a pivotal performance in an eventual title run. He also won the 2004 NLCS MVP Award on the heels of a four-homer performance against the Houston Astros, leading St. Louis to the World Series that season as well.
T-6. Alex Bregman (19)
Alex Bregman has two World Series rings to his name at age 30, and his postseason performance is a big reason for that.
The Astros third baseman has been remarkably consistent in the playoffs throughout his career, homering in 12 out of the 19 postseason series in which he has played. Bregman teed off three times in the 2019 World Series against the Washington Nationals, one of which was a grand slam in Game 4.
T-6. George Springer (19)
Like Bregman, George Springer made his name as a playoff Goliath with the Houston Astros. While his success hasn’t carried over to the Toronto Blue Jays, his tenure with Houston has etched his name on the postseason home run leaderboard.
The outfielder was named 2017 World Series MVP after he hit five home runs to carry the Astros over the Dodgers. One of those was a game-winner in Game 7, notching his name in franchise immortality for his clutch play. Springer has also hit at least two home runs in six of the 15 career playoff series he has participated in.
T-10. Carlos Correa (18)
Another former Houston Astro on this list, you say? Houston’s player development in the 2010s was off the charts, and Carlos Correa’s postseason performance is a great example of it.
All 18 of his career playoff home runs came with Houston, two of which were walk-off homers. Three of his home runs came in the 2020 ALDS against the Oakland Athletics, where he also drove in 11 runs. Though he has yet to replicate this success with the Minnesota Twins, the former Rookie of the Year has plenty of time to add to his totals.
T-10. Reggie Jackson (18)
They don’t call him “Mr. October” because he enjoyed playing in chilly weather.
Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series to claim that nickname, but he was a fantastic postseason power threat overall. Six of his 18 home runs came during his first tenure with the Athletics, including one in the 1973 World Series against the New York Mets. But his excellence with the Yankees earned his place in Monument Park, and helped him overcome drama en route to a couple of rings.
T-10. Mickey Mantle (18)
If you’re making a list of baseball greats, there’s a good chance Mickey Mantle is on it. This one is no exception.
Given the current playoff format did not exist at the time, all of Mantle’s 18 home runs in the playoffs came when they mattered most – in the World Series. The 1964 World Series would be his final with the Yankees, and even as his body began to break down at age 32, he managed to put three balls out of the park in a losing effort against the Cardinals. Still, his excellence would fuel the Yankees to seven World Series titles during his time with the team.
T-10. Nelson Cruz (18)
Nelson Cruz was one of the most underappreciated power threats of his era, and was a big reason for the early-2010s success of the Texas Rangers.
Six of Cruz’s 18 career postseason homers came during the 2011 ALCS, where he won MVP honors after knocking of the Detroit Tigers. Cruz made the playoffs seven times in his career, and had a home run in all but one of his appearances (2020). He retired with 464 regular season homers to his name.
