Last Updated on February 11, 2025 by Matt Musico
One of the many reasons I love baseball is its rich, stat-driven history. From iconic players to legendary milestones, the game offers endless stories worth celebrating. One such feat that stands out is achieving the most consecutive 40 home run seasons in MLB history. While the 40-homer mark is less exclusive than hitting 50-plus in a year, it remains an impressive accomplishment few players have sustained over multiple seasons.
In 2024, Aaron Judge (58), Shohei Ohtani (54), Anthony Santander (44), and Juan Soto (41) all joined the 40-homer club, bringing the total number of such seasons in MLB history to 367. However, maintaining this level of power year after year is an entirely different challenge. Today, we’re diving into the elite sluggers who achieved the longest streaks of 40-plus home run seasons and left an indelible mark on baseball history.
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Related: A Complete Guide to Single-Season (& Single-Game) HR Performances
Most Consecutive 40 Home Run Seasons in MLB History
7 Straight Seasons of 40-Plus Homers
Babe Ruth, New York Yankees (1926–32)
Babe Ruth’s seven-season streak of 40-plus home runs isn’t just the longest—it’s the gold standard. From 1926–32, Ruth rewrote baseball’s record books, averaging an astounding 49 home runs per season. He hit 60 dingers in 1927, which was an MLB record for 34 years before Roger Maris surpassed him.
His OPS during this streak also never dipped below 1.150. The best part of all, though, is that this streak could’ve been much longer. He hit 35 homers in 1922, 25 in 1925 (he played just 98 games) and 34 in 1933. Had he reached 40 in each of those seasons, the streak would’ve been 14 seasons long.
6 Straight Seasons of 40-Plus Homers
Alex Rodriguez, Seattle Mariners & Texas Rangers (1998–2003)
A-Rod’s six-season streak bridges his tenure with two teams. It began with a bang since he became the first (and still only) primary infielder to join the 40-40 club in 1998.
Rodriguez led the league in homers three straight years with the Rangers from 2001-03. He clubbed a total of 281 homers during this stretch, so let’s put that in perspective.
His 696 homers are among the most all-time, and it took him 22 years to reach that number. This six-season stretch represents about 27% of A-Rod’s big-league career. Despite that, just a shade over 40% of his total homers came during this span.
Sammy Sosa, Chicago Cubs (1998–2003)
While Sammy Sosa isn’t at the top of this list, he gets a little extra shoutout for how he got here. He had four straight years of 50-plus homers, three of which surpassed the 60-homer mark. And if he hit just *one* more homer in 2002, that streak would’ve been five.
The right-handed slugger collected 332 of his 609 career homers during this span. A normal year for Sosa during the streak included a .302/.391/.635 line with 55 homers, 135 RBI and 120 runs scored. Phew!
Most Consecutive 40 Home Run Seasons in MLB History
5 Straight Seasons of 40-Plus Homers
Ralph Kiner, Pittsburgh Pirates (1947–51)
Ralph Kiner’s five-season streak with the Pirates cemented him as one of the most feared sluggers of the post-war era. He hit a league-leading 23 homers as a rookie in 1946 before rattling off five straight years of 40-plus dingers. He also added 37 more homers in 1952. Nobody hit more homers than him from 1946-52 and he led the league in that category every single year.
His best performance came in 1949 when he slugged 54 home runs with a monstrous 1.089 OPS. Kiner averaged 47 home runs per season during his streak and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting five times, all while playing in Forbes Field—a notoriously tough park for hitters.
Duke Snider, Brooklyn Dodgers (1953-57)
Duke Snider was the heart of the Dodgers’ offense in the 1950s. From 1953–57, Snider averaged 41 home runs per season and led the league once (43 in ‘56). His 1955 campaign was noteworthy — he finished with 42 homers and 136 RBI. He placed second in MVP Award voting but took home the biggest prize of all.
After losing three straight World Series to the Yankees, he powered Brooklyn to a title. Snider slugged four homers with seven RBI and a 1.210 OPS across that seven-game series.
Adam Dunn, Cincinnati Reds & Arizona Diamondbacks (2004–08)
Known for his prodigious power, Adam Dunn’s five-season streak came with plenty of fireworks. From 2004–08, he clubbed exactly 40 home runs four times and 46 in 2004. But you already knew that about him.
Dunn’s approach was simple: hit bombs. During this streak, he led the league in three-true-outcome percentage, proving he was a modern slugger ahead of his time. He led the league in strikeouts from 2004-06 and didn’t finish with fewer than 164 whiffs in a season. Dunn also led the league in walks in 2008 and didn’t finish with fewer than 101 in any campaign.
Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants (2000–04)
Barry Bonds’ five-season streak isn’t just remarkable—it’s historic. From 2000-04, he hit 258 home runs, including his record-setting 73 in 2001. His OPS+ during this period was an absurd 241, meaning he was nearly 2.5 times as productive as the average hitter. He had a little extra help thanks to PEDs, but it’s very clear that his God-given talent and Baseball IQ were on another level.
After finishing second in NL MVP Award voting to Giants teammate Jeff Kent in 2000, Bonds won it four straight times, making him a seven-time MVP winner.
Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners & Cincinnati Reds (1996–2000)
Ken Griffey Jr. made hitting 40-plus homers look effortless. He went deep 249 times during this stretch, leading the American League each year from 1997-99. This included two straight seasons of exactly 56 homers in ‘97 and ‘98, but you already know how similar those campaigns were, too.
Griffey already had two seasons of 40-plus homers under his belt before starting this streak. He was limited to just 72 games in 1995 because of injury (he hit 17 homers). Had he been healthy, the left-handed slugger would’ve had a better shot at breaking Babe Ruth’s record of consecutive 40-homer seasons.
All stats are courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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