Jimmie Foxx Hits His 58th Home Run, Falling Just Short of Ruth

On September 25, 1932, Jimmie Foxx of the Philadelphia Athletics drove a second pitch from Washington's Alvin "General" Crowder high into the left-field stands for his 58th home run of the season. It was the closest any player had come to Babe Ruth's record of 60, set five years earlier, and it would remain the American League's second-highest total for another 29 years.

Foxx was 24 years old and in the middle of the most dominant offensive season of his career. He finished with a .364 batting average, 58 home runs, and 169 RBIs, winning his first Most Valuable Player award. He led the league in nearly every significant offensive category.

The near miss with Ruth's record carried a footnote that haunted Foxx for years. He had hit two home runs during the 1932 season in games that were later rained out before becoming official. Had those games counted, his total would have reached 60. Screen additions to Sportsman's Park in St. Louis and Shibe Park in Philadelphia, installed before the 1932 season, turned several potential home runs into long doubles, though the exact number has been disputed by researchers. Foxx believed circumstance had robbed him.

Despite falling short of Ruth, Foxx's 1932 performance stands among the great individual seasons in baseball history. Contemporaries who marveled at his physical power called him "The Beast" and "Double X." He hit with raw strength that drew constant comparisons to Ruth himself. Foxx hit 534 career home runs, won three MVP awards, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.