The Babe Ruth Home Run Award[note 1] was an annual award presented to the previous season's leading home run hitter in Major League Baseball (MLB).[3] The award was named after the legendary Babe Ruth, who led the American League in homers 12 times.[4] It was first awarded to Mark McGwire after his record-setting 1998 season. The award was a 21-pound (9.5 kg), 20-inch-high (51 cm) bronze statue of Ruth based on a 1920 photo of him following through on a tremendous swing.[5][6]
The Babe Ruth Home Run Award was developed by brothers Jim and Brian Sullivan. Jim was the sculptor, while Brian focused on the marketing of the award. The Sullivans originally wanted to create a life-size statue of Ruth as a tourist attraction similar to the Michael Jordan statue. Unable to secure a sponsor, they created the award to honor Ruth.[4][5][6] The trophy was estimated to cost around $4,000 as of 2006, and it was funded by the Sullivans and given on behalf of their company, Sullivan Artworks based in Weymouth, Massachusetts.[4][7] MLB was not interested in sponsoring the award; the American League already honored its home run champion with a nameless award, and the National League offered the Mel Ott Award. Both the awards received little publicity.[8] The Babe Ruth Home Run Award was usually presented to the recipient by Ruth's daughter, Julia Ruth Stevens, or her son, Tom Stevens.[7][9][10]
Key
Alex Rodriguez won the most Babe Ruth Home Run Awards with three.The only other multiple-time winner is Ryan Howard.
Year
Year the award was earned. The award is presented the following season.
^Some sources refer to it as the Babe Ruth Award,[1][2] not to be confused with the Major League Baseball postseason award also named the Babe Ruth Award.
^ abMorrissey, Michael (June 6, 2004). "Hospital ward in Bronx". New York Post. p. 50. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2011. Before the game, Rodriguez received the Babe Ruth Award (for most homers in the majors last season) from Ruth's daughter and grandson.
^ abcdAt the following webpage, scroll down to "The Babe Ruth Homerun Award" (including photograph of the award trophy and list of recipients through the 2007 season). "06 Fan Stories: Ultimate Babe Ruth Fans". BabeRuthCentral.com. Babe Ruth Central. Archived from the original on 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
^ abMacMullan, Jackie (October 17, 2002). "A bronze homage to Babe". The Boston Globe. p. E3. Retrieved March 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. By 2001, they were paying their own way to present Sammy Sosa with his Babe Ruth Award.
^Logan, Bob (July 16, 2001). "Could McGriff be in Baylor's lineup tonight?". Daily Herald. p. section 2, page 3. Stephens also presented Sosa with the Babe Ruth Home Run Award for leading both leagues with 50 homers last season.
^"Barry mows 'em down". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 9, 2006. p. B4. Retrieved March 23, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Before Saturday's game, Jones received the Babe Ruth Award for leading the major with 51 homers in 2005.