Retired#441B1959–1980T-20 all-time

Willie McCovey

“Stretch” · San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics

Willie McCovey hit 521 home runs, most of them for the Giants, and the water beyond the right-field wall in San Francisco is called McCovey Cove in his honor. He was the 1959 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1969 NL MVP, and his 18 grand slams are still the National League record.

Bats / ThrowsLeft / Left
AgeDied Oct 31, 2018
Height / Weight6' 4" / 210 lb
BornJan 10, 1938 · Mobile, AL, USA
MLB debutJul 30, 1959
Last gameJul 6, 1980
TeamsSan Francisco Giants 1959–1973, 1977–1980San Diego Padres 1974–1976Oakland Athletics 1976
Career home runs
521
2588 games · 22 seasons
Best season
45
1969 · San Francisco Giants
All-time HR rank
T-20
Tied with 2 others · Next: Jimmie Foxx (534), 14 to pass
0 HR
Tap a landing spot to see the homer.

Season

Player’s Vault

14 badges earned
4Unicorn
6Rare Air
4Legend
  • ×3UnicornGameThree home runsFirst Sep 22, 1963 · latest Sep 17, 1966
  • UnicornSeasonMVP award1969
  • UnicornCareerHall of FameInducted 1986
  • UnicornCareer500 home runs521 home runs
  • ×44Rare AirGameMulti-homer gameFirst Aug 5, 1959 · latest Jun 15, 1979
  • ×3Rare AirSeasonHome run title1963, 1968, 1969
  • ×2Rare AirSeason40 home runs1963, 1969
  • Rare AirSeasonWorld Series home run1962 · 1 HR
  • Rare AirCareer400 home runs521 home runs
  • Rare AirCareerMVP award1969
  • ×7LegendSeason30 home runs1963, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968 +2 more
  • ×2LegendSeasonPostseason home run1962, 1971 · 3 HR
  • LegendCareer300 home runs521 home runs
  • LegendCareer200 home runs521 home runs

Distance and exit-velocity badges count from 2015, when tracking began. Grand slams, walk-offs, inside-the-park, leadoff, pinch-hit, first-pitch, back-to-back, switch-hitting and ballpark badges count games from 2008 on.

Career arc

Home runs by season · tap a bar
Home runsSelected season

Personal records

Career

Longest of his career

Hardest hit of his career

Year by year

Regular season · MLB
SeasonTeamGPAHRRBIAVGOBPSLGOPSAB/HR
1980San Francisco Giants48132116.204.285.301.586113.0
1979San Francisco Giants1173941557.249.318.402.72023.5
1978San Francisco Giants1083901264.228.298.396.69429.3
1977San Francisco Giants1415482886.280.367.500.86717.1
19762 teams82251736.204.283.336.61932.3
1975San Diego Padres1224752368.252.345.460.80518.0
1974San Diego Padres1284432263.253.416.506.92215.6
1973San Francisco Giants1304952975.266.420.546.96613.2
1972San Francisco Giants813041435.213.316.403.71918.8
1971San Francisco Giants1054021870.277.396.480.87618.3
1970San Francisco Giants15263839126.289.444.6121.05612.7
1969San Francisco Giants14962345126.320.453.6561.10910.9
1968San Francisco Giants14860836105.293.378.545.92314.5
1967San Francisco Giants1355393191.276.378.535.91314.7
1966San Francisco Giants1505883696.295.391.586.97713.9
1965San Francisco Giants1606393992.276.381.539.92013.8
1964San Francisco Giants1304341854.220.336.412.74820.2
1963San Francisco Giants15262744102.280.350.566.91612.8
1962San Francisco Giants912612054.293.368.590.95811.4
1961San Francisco Giants1063741850.271.350.491.84118.2
1960San Francisco Giants1013071351.238.349.469.81820.0
1959San Francisco Giants522191338.354.429.6561.08514.8
Career258896915211555.270.374.515.88915.7

Splits

How he hits them

Every home run

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Quick answers

Willie McCovey home run facts
How many career home runs does Willie McCovey have?

Willie McCovey hit 521 career MLB home runs in 22 seasons (1959–1980), tied for 20th all-time.

Where does Willie McCovey rank on the all-time home run list?

Tied for 20th in MLB history with 521. Next: Jimmie Foxx (534), 14 to pass.

What was Willie McCovey’s best home run season?

His most home runs in a season is 45, in 1969 with the San Francisco Giants, when he posted a 1.109 OPS.

Is Willie McCovey in the Hall of Fame?

Yes. Willie McCovey was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

What teams has Willie McCovey played for?

San Francisco Giants (1959–1973, 1977–1980); San Diego Padres (1974–1976); Oakland Athletics (1976).

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