Players with Most Home Runs in the Playoffs and World Series

These are the major league baseball players with the most home runs in the postseason counting both the playoffs and the World Series. All baseball players with at least 15 home runs are included. The list is heavily slanted with modern players because modern players have greater opportunities to hit more runs in the playoffs which did not exist in baseball until 1969 and then the playoffs were expanded again in 1995.

1) Manny Ramirez - 29 Home Runs in Playoffs and World Series

Manny Ramirez hit 25 of his home runs in either the Division or Championship Series of the playoffs and only 4 of his postseason home runs in the World Series. Nobody knows how many of those home runs were hit while Manny was taking steroids but he was suspended for taking a drug associated with steroid use so logically at least some and maybe all his postseason home runs are tainted. The majority of his home runs came while playing for the Boston Red Sox.

2) Bernie Williams - 22

Bernie Williams was a great clutch player for the New York Yankees. Seventeen of his postseason home runs were hit in the Division or Championship Series and 5 came in the World Series. Despite the 5 HR's in the World Series Bernie Williams was not a great hitter in the Fall Classic. Bernie did most of his damage in the playoffs where he would carry the Yankees and then the team would carry him in the World Series.

3) Derek Jeter - 20

Derek Jeter has been a great postseason player for the Yankees but the idea that he steps up his game in the postseason is mostly a myth. Jeter's postseason stats are very similar to his regular season stats. The only area he is really above his career stats in the postseason is home runs. During the regular season Jeter hits a HR 2.5% per official at bat. In the postseason he hits a HR 3.6% per official at bat.

4) Reggie Jackson - 18

Reggie Jackson was named Mr. October for a good reason. He hit 10 of his postseason HR's in the World Series and incredibly three of them came in one game on three consecutive pitches to him. The greatest feat in World Series history and just unbelievable to watch on TV.

I've seen Goose Gossage asked if he was surprised Reggie hit the 3rd home run in a row and Gossage said he would have been surprised if he didn't hit that home run because he had never seen a player so locked in as Reggie was that day.

4) Mickey Mantle - 18

All of Mickey Mantle's postseason home runs came in the World Series because there were no playoffs during his career. Mantle was a great hitter in the World Series but other than home runs he had better regular season numbers than he did in the World Series. The New York Yankees went 7-5 in the World Series Mantle competed in.

6) Jim Thome - 17

Jim Thome hit 3 home runs playing in two World Series for the Cleveland Indians and the rest of his postseason HR's came in the playoffs.

7) Babe Ruth - 15

Overall Babe Ruth was the greatest World Series hitter of all-time. In 41 World Series games he had a slugging percentage of .744 and an OPS of 1.211 both of which are above his career regular season slugging percentage and OPS and his career slugging percentage and OPS are the highest of any player to ever play the game of baseball.

Source:http://www.baseball-reference.com/