Giancarlo Stanton led baseball with 59 home runs last season. Aaron Judge led the AL with 52 homers.
And now they’re batting in the same lineup, with the impending trade that sends Stanton, the reigning NL MVP, from the Marlins to the Yankees. Oh, the possibilities, and not just for 2018. Judge isn’t set to hit free agency until after the 2023 season and Stanton, as you know, is under contract through 2027 (though he has an opt-out after 2020). If he’s happy in NYC and Yankee Stadium, records could fall at a record rate.
So let’s take a look back at some of the best 1-2 home run-hitting punches in MLB history. And, yes, we probably should go 1-2-3 and include Gary Sanchez, but for now we’ll stick with the two guys who hit 50-plus homers last season.
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As with any list, you have to set arbitrary parameters. For this ranking, the parameters are set up with Stanton and Judge in mind, and what they could become if they stay healthy and productive together in the same lineup. So I only considered duos who played together for at least four seasons, and I only considered sluggers who topped the 40-homer mark at least once during their years together.
Ready? Let’s jump in.
1. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Yankees
Best combined home-run season: 1927. Total of 107: 60 for Ruth, 47 for Gehrig
Years together: 1923-34
Combined home runs as teammates: 859
Worth noting: The Ruth-Gehrig duo was an easy choice for the top spot on this list. Their 1927 season ranks third on the list of teammate home runs, and no other duo comes close to their type of extended dominance. Think about this: In the 10 full seasons they played together (Gehrig played a total of 23 games in 1923-24), they combined to produce 13 seasons of 40-plus homers and 17 seasons of at least 30 homers. For those 12 years combined, Ruth and Gehrig hit 859 home runs.
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2. Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, Giants
Best combined home-run season: 1965. Total of 91: 52 for Mays, 39 for McCovey
Years together: 1959-72
Combined home runs as teammates: 801
Worth noting: These two were nothing short of amazing for the Giants. Mays was part of the franchise’s shift from New York to San Francisco, and McCovey was brought to the majors in the club’s second season in California. In their 13 full seasons together (Mays, remember, was traded to the Mets in May 1972), they hit at least 30 home runs 14 times. Mays led the NL in home runs in 1962, 1964 and 1965. McCovey led the NL in home runs in 1963, 1968 and 1969.
3. Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews, Braves
Best combined home-run season: 1959. Total of 85; 46 for Mathews, 39 for Aaron
Years together: 1954-66
Combined home runs as teammates: 863
Worth noting: They’re the only duo on at the top of this list not to combine for at least 90 in one season, which is why they’re not in the top spot, but it’s pretty clear why these two guys make the list, right? That power longevity is just amazing, starting when the franchise was in Milwaukee and continuing through the first year in Atlanta, which was Mathews’ final with the club. They hit the 30-homer mark 18 times and the 40-homer mark eight times
4. Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris, Yankees
Best combined home-run season: 1961. Total of 115: 61 for Maris, 54 for Mantle
Years together: 1960-66
Combined home runs as teammates: 419
Worth noting: You knew these two would make an appearance, of course. Their output in 1961 remains the highest combined single-season total for any two teammates and the only time two teammates hit at least 50 in the same season. It was also, by far, their best combined total. The previous season, they hit 79 total (40 for Mantle, 39 for Maris) and they combined to slug 63 in their follow-up performance in 1962 (33 for Maris, 30 for Mantle). But injuries took their toll on both players. Maris never hit more than 26 homers after 1962, and Mantle only topped 23 once after that same season.
5. Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, Red Sox
Best combined home-run season: 2005. Total of 92: 47 for Ortiz, 45 for Ramirez
Years together: 2003-08
Combined home runs as teammates: 422
Worth noting: Ramirez and Ortiz formed the heart of Boston’s feared lineup, but this duo isn’t just here because of regular-season home runs. You know, of course, that the Red Sox snapped their lengthy World Series drought in 2004, and then won again in 2007. Both Ramirez and Ortiz played huge roles in those postseason breakthroughs; Ramirez hit 11 playoff home runs from 2003-07 and Ortiz popped exactly 11, too.
Have to mention Ramirez and another teammate here, too. Before he would up in Boston, Ramirez and Jim Thome played together in Cleveland; from 1996-2000, Thome averaged 36 homers a season and Manny averaged 37.
6. Ken Griffey, Jr., and Alex Rodriguez, Mariners
Best combined home-run season: 1998. Total of 98: 56 for Griffey, 42 for Rodriguez
Years together: 1994-1999
Combined home runs as teammates: 414
Worth noting: Rodriguez was just getting his feet wet in their first two years together, but he reached full-season status in 1996 and the Mariners had two of the best hitters in MLB history in the same lineup for four memorable seasons. In three of those four years, the duo combined to hit at least 85 homers. And we have to mention the Griffey-Jay Buhner combo, too. Because of a longer tenure together, they actually hit more homers than Griffey and A-Rod, but if we’re talking imposing combos, A-Rod gets the nod over Buhner.
7. Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, A’s
Best combined home-run season: 1987. Total of 80: 49 for McGwire, 31 for Canseco
Years together: 1987-92
Combined home runs as teammates: 406
Worth noting: You can’t have a list of home-run hitting teammates without the Bash Brothers. Just can’t be done, even though their numbers don’t quite match up with some of the other power-hitting combos in baseball history. Kind of telling for those two that their first full season together (1987) turned out to be their best season together.
