October baseball has a way of turning good hitters into legends. A player can spend an entire regular season outside the national spotlight, then catch fire for three weeks and permanently attach his name to MLB postseason history. Few achievements capture that phenomenon better than the record for the most home runs in one postseason.
As of the completion of the 2025 MLB postseason, Randy Arozarena holds the all-time record with 10 home runs for the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2020 playoffs. Nobody has reached double digits since. Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. each made serious runs at the record in 2025, finishing with eight, but Arozarena’s mark survived.
What makes the record particularly interesting is that postseason formats have changed dramatically throughout baseball history. Modern players can participate in far more playoff games than stars from earlier eras, giving them additional opportunities to hit home runs. That means comparing postseason power across generations requires more context than simply looking at the final number.
This guide breaks down the record holders, Arozarena’s historic 2020 performance, the eight-homer club, earlier-era records, World Series power performances, and why postseason home-run totals have increased over time.
Who Has the Most Home Runs in One Postseason?
The MLB record for the most home runs in one postseason belongs to Randy Arozarena, who hit 10 home runs for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. The performance remains the standard against which every modern playoff power surge is measured.
Arozarena’s record-setting run was extraordinary because he entered those playoffs without the superstar reputation normally associated with historic offensive performances. He had appeared in only a relatively small number of Major League games before exploding during Tampa Bay’s run to the World Series.
His 10 home runs were spread across three rounds:
- 3 in the American League Division Series against the Yankees
- 4 in the American League Championship Series against Houston
- 3 in the World Series against the Dodgers
He broke the previous single-postseason record by hitting his ninth homer during Game 4 of the World Series and then extended the mark to 10 in Game 6.
The Rays ultimately lost the World Series to Los Angeles, but Arozarena’s individual performance became one of the defining stories of the 2020 postseason.
He finished those playoffs with 29 hits and 64 total bases in addition to his 10 home runs, setting single-postseason records in all three categories at the time.
MLB Single-Postseason Home Run Leaders
The top of the leaderboard is more crowded than many fans realize.
Arozarena stands alone at 10, but a large group of elite postseason performances sits just behind him. Following the 2025 postseason, MLB’s official leaderboard includes Arozarena first, followed by several players tied with eight home runs.
| Player | Team | Year | HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Arozarena | Tampa Bay Rays | 2020 | 10 |
| Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | Toronto Blue Jays | 2025 | 8 |
| Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2025 | 8 |
| Corey Seager | Los Angeles Dodgers | 2020 | 8 |
| Nelson Cruz | Texas Rangers | 2011 | 8 |
| Carlos Beltrán | Houston Astros | 2004 | 8 |
| Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | 2002 | 8 |
| Adolis García | Texas Rangers | 2023 | 8 |
MLB notes that all eight players to reach at least eight home runs in a postseason have done so during the Wild Card Era, which began in 1995. Before that era, the record was six home runs.
The leaderboard illustrates two things at once.
First, modern playoff structures give elite hitters more opportunities. Second, simply playing more games does not make eight, nine, or 10 postseason home runs easy. Hundreds of excellent hitters have gone deep into October without approaching Arozarena’s record.
A hitter still has to survive elite pitching, changing matchups, pressure situations, and increasingly detailed scouting while maintaining power for several consecutive series.
Randy Arozarena’s Historic 2020 Postseason
Arozarena’s 2020 performance deserves closer examination because the final number does not fully describe how unexpected the run was.
Before becoming one of baseball’s biggest postseason stories, Arozarena had limited Major League experience. Then, during Tampa Bay’s playoff run, he became almost impossible to contain.
He hit three home runs during the ALDS victory over the Yankees and followed that with four more against Houston in the ALCS. His seventh homer established a rookie postseason record, and his performance helped him earn ALCS MVP honors.
Then came the World Series.
Arozarena homered three more times against the Dodgers. His ninth home run, hit in Game 4, officially established a new MLB record for one postseason. His 10th came in Game 6, giving him the double-digit mark that still stands.
His overall postseason slash line was an astonishing .377/.442/.831, and he produced 29 hits, 10 homers, 14 RBIs and 19 runs across 20 games.
The important point is that this was not simply a player accumulating home runs because his team played many games.
Arozarena was consistently producing elite offensive results throughout the tournament.
Why the 2020 Postseason Was Different
Arozarena’s record also requires historical context.
The 2020 postseason occurred during the COVID-affected MLB season and used an expanded playoff structure. More teams qualified, and the Rays played 20 postseason games because they advanced from the Wild Card round all the way through a six-game World Series.
MLB itself noted when Arozarena initially broke the record that the expanded postseason offered more potential games than earlier playoff formats.
That does not invalidate the record.
Every era creates different opportunities and obstacles.
Early baseball stars had extremely short postseason schedules. Later players competed through League Championship Series and World Series rounds. The Wild Card Era added another stage, and subsequent playoff expansion created even longer potential paths.
A modern player can theoretically accumulate considerably more postseason plate appearances than someone from the 1950s.
But longer playoffs also bring additional challenges.
A hitter must remain productive through multiple rounds against increasingly strong pitching staffs. Teams also have advanced video analysis, specialized relievers, matchup data and detailed scouting reports designed specifically to neutralize dangerous hitters.
The fairest approach is therefore to recognize Arozarena’s 10 as the official record while understanding that raw postseason totals are strongly influenced by playoff format.
Shohei Ohtani’s Eight-Home Run Postseason in 2025
Shohei Ohtani became one of the latest players to threaten Arozarena’s mark during the Dodgers’ 2025 championship run.
Ohtani finished the postseason with eight home runs, tying the second-highest total in MLB history.
His run included two home runs in Los Angeles’ first postseason game against Cincinnati.
He later produced one of the most remarkable performances of the entire postseason during Game 4 of the National League Championship Series against Milwaukee: Ohtani hit three home runs in a game he also started as a pitcher.
He added another homer in Game 1 of the World Series and hit two more during Game 3, pushing his postseason total to eight.
That put him within two of Arozarena’s record.
Ohtani had already hit five home runs during the 2024 postseason, when the Dodgers also won the World Series, but his 2025 run pushed him into much more exclusive territory.
What made Ohtani’s performance especially notable was the combination of elite offensive production with his two-way responsibilities.
Eight postseason home runs alone is rare. Producing them while also functioning as a pitcher makes his run historically unusual even without the outright record.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 2025 Playoff Power Surge
Ohtani was not the only hitter to finish the 2025 postseason with eight home runs.
Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also hit eight, tying Ohtani and several previous stars for second place on the single-postseason leaderboard.
Guerrero began his postseason power surge by homering in each of the first three ALDS games against the Yankees.
He then added three more home runs during Toronto’s seven-game ALCS victory over Seattle.
That gave him six before the World Series.
Against the Dodgers, Guerrero hit a two-run home run off Ohtani during Game 4 and another against Blake Snell in Game 5, bringing his postseason total to eight.
Toronto ultimately lost the World Series in seven games, but Guerrero had already secured one of the greatest power-hitting postseasons in MLB history.
The fact that Ohtani and Guerrero both reached eight during the same postseason demonstrated just how explosive the 2025 playoffs became.
Yet neither reached nine.
That reinforced how difficult Arozarena’s 10-homer benchmark remains even in an era of extended playoff schedules.
Corey Seager’s Eight Home Runs in 2020
Arozarena was not the only player having a historic postseason in 2020.
On the opposite side of the World Series, Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager hit eight home runs.
Seager’s performance included five home runs during the NLCS against Atlanta, setting a National League Championship Series record.
He carried that production into the World Series, where Los Angeles defeated Tampa Bay.
His eight postseason homers represented the most ever by a shortstop in a single postseason, and his overall performance earned him both the NLCS MVP and World Series MVP awards.
That 2020 postseason therefore produced two of the greatest individual power performances ever recorded at the same time.
Arozarena hit 10 for Tampa Bay.
Seager hit eight for Los Angeles.
The difference was that Seager’s team finished with the championship.
This is an important reminder that postseason records and postseason success are not always the same thing. A player can produce historic individual numbers while his team falls short, while another player’s slightly lower total may come as part of a title-winning run.
Nelson Cruz and the 2011 ALCS Explosion
Nelson Cruz’s 2011 postseason remains one of the most concentrated power performances on the list.
Cruz finished with eight home runs, but what makes the total remarkable is where most of them came from.
He went homerless during the Division Series, then erupted for six home runs during the ALCS against Detroit, which MLB identifies as the most by any player in a single postseason series.
Cruz’s ALCS included two home runs in Game 2, with the second becoming the first postseason walk-off grand slam.
His performance earned him ALCS MVP honors and helped Texas reach its second consecutive World Series.
The Rangers eventually lost an unforgettable seven-game World Series to St. Louis, but Cruz’s eight total home runs secured his place among the greatest postseason power hitters.
His run also illustrates how quickly these records can develop.
A player does not necessarily need to homer steadily throughout every round.
A single dominant series can produce five or six home runs, suddenly putting the hitter within striking distance of the all-time postseason mark.
Carlos Beltrán’s Legendary 2004 Run
Carlos Beltrán’s 2004 postseason is particularly impressive because Houston did not even reach the World Series.
The Astros acquired Beltrán during the season, and he transformed into an extraordinary postseason force.
He hit four home runs during the Division Series against Atlanta and another four during the seven-game NLCS against St. Louis.
That gave him eight postseason home runs despite playing only two playoff series.
Across those rounds, Beltrán produced a combined batting line of approximately .435/.536/1.022.
Houston lost the NLCS, ending his opportunity to chase nine or 10.
Had the Astros advanced to the World Series, Beltrán would have had another four to seven games in which to attack the record.
That possibility is one reason his 2004 run remains so highly regarded.
Modern postseason totals can be influenced heavily by how far a team advances. Beltrán reached eight without appearing in the World Series at all.
From a home-run-per-game perspective, his performance belongs among the most explosive playoff stretches baseball has seen.
Barry Bonds’ Eight Homers in 2002
Barry Bonds entered the 2002 postseason as the game’s most feared hitter and still managed to produce extraordinary numbers despite opponents frequently refusing to pitch to him.
Bonds hit eight home runs during San Francisco’s run to the World Series.
He was walked 27 times in 74 plate appearances, including 13 intentional walks, yet still managed to tie what was then the single-postseason home-run record.
Four of his home runs came during the seven-game World Series against the Angels.
One of the most memorable came against closer Troy Percival during Game 2, a towering shot that became one of Bonds’ defining postseason highlights.
San Francisco ultimately lost the World Series in seven games.
The combination of eight home runs and extraordinary walk totals makes Bonds’ run particularly impressive.
Pitchers were actively trying to minimize opportunities for him to swing, meaning he had fewer hittable pitches than many other postseason sluggers.
When he did receive pitches in the strike zone, he often punished them.
Adolis García’s Eight-Homer Run in 2023
Adolis García joined the eight-homer group during the Texas Rangers’ championship season in 2023.
His postseason became especially memorable during the ALCS against Houston, where he hit five of his eight home runs.
García homered in each of the final four games of the series and hit two in Game 7.
He continued his run in Game 1 of the World Series, hitting an opposite-field walk-off home run in the 11th inning against Arizona.
That was his eighth homer of the postseason.
García also established the record for most RBIs in a single postseason during the run.
His opportunity to chase Arozarena ended when he suffered an injury in Game 3 of the World Series.
MLB specifically notes that without the injury, García would have had a realistic opportunity to approach the 10-homer record.
Texas nevertheless won the World Series, giving García something several other players near the top of this list never obtained: a championship during his historic power run.
Players With Seven Home Runs in a Postseason
Seven home runs once looked like a nearly unreachable postseason total.
Today it sits just below the very top of the leaderboard, but the list of players who have reached seven still includes some exceptional October performances.
MLB’s official history includes several seven-homer postseasons, including:
- Giancarlo Stanton — Yankees, 2024
- Jose Altuve — Astros, 2017
- Daniel Murphy — Mets, 2015
- Jayson Werth — Phillies, 2009
- B.J. Upton — Rays, 2008
- Troy Glaus — Angels, 2002
These performances are especially interesting because the players were very different types of hitters.
Stanton and Glaus were established power threats.
Daniel Murphy was not.
Murphy entered the 2015 postseason with only 62 career regular-season home runs in 903 games, then suddenly homered in six consecutive postseason contests and finished with seven.
That is exactly what makes postseason baseball unpredictable.
The regular-season home-run leader is not automatically the hitter who will dominate October.
A hot streak lasting two or three weeks can completely rewrite a player’s reputation.
The Pre-Wild Card Record
Comparing modern postseason records with earlier baseball requires understanding how short the playoffs once were.
Before divisional play was introduced, winning a league pennant could send a team directly to the World Series.
That meant some of baseball’s greatest hitters had only four to seven postseason games available in an entire year.
Even after League Championship Series were added, the total number of potential playoff games remained much smaller than today.
According to MLB, the pre-Wild Card Era record was six home runs.
Bob Robertson of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit six in 1971, and Lenny Dykstra of the Philadelphia Phillies matched that mark in 1993.
The Wild Card Era began in 1995, and every player who has reached at least eight home runs in one postseason has done it since that expansion.
This historical context matters.
A player from the 1960s might have had no possible route to 20 postseason games because the playoff system simply did not allow it.
That does not diminish modern records, but it means direct comparisons between raw totals from different eras should be made cautiously.
Why Postseason Home-Run Records Keep Rising
Several factors help explain why high postseason home-run totals are more common today.
The biggest is simply opportunity.
Expanded playoff fields create more rounds and therefore more possible games. A Wild Card team that reaches the World Series may play substantially more postseason games than a champion from earlier eras.
Modern baseball has also become heavily oriented toward power.
Hitters increasingly train to maximize bat speed, launch angle and hard contact. Teams understand the value of home runs because one swing can score multiple runs without requiring several consecutive hits against elite postseason pitching.
At the same time, pitchers are throwing harder than ever and teams use specialized relievers aggressively.
That makes postseason hitting difficult.
So the increased opportunity does not mean records are automatic.
Consider Arozarena’s mark.
Since 2020, several teams have played deep into October. Elite hitters have accumulated significant postseason plate appearances. Yet through the 2025 playoffs, nobody has exceeded eight since Arozarena established 10.
The format makes the record possible.
Performance still makes it exceptional.
Most Career Postseason Home Runs vs. One Postseason
The record for most home runs in one postseason should not be confused with the career postseason home-run record.
They measure completely different things.
A single-postseason record rewards an extraordinary short-term run.
A career record requires repeated team success and sustained personal production over many Octobers.
Manny Ramírez remains the MLB career postseason home-run leader with 29.
Jose Altuve has 27 and is the highest active player on current career postseason lists.
Arozarena’s historic 10 came almost entirely in one magical postseason.
That contrast shows why postseason statistics can tell different stories.
One player may dominate a particular October.
Another may deliver consistently across a decade of playoff appearances.
Both achievements matter, but they should not be ranked using the same criteria.
Does a Longer Postseason Make Arozarena’s Record Less Impressive?
It gives the record context, but it does not erase the achievement.
Arozarena had more opportunities than hitters from eras with shorter playoff structures.
That is undeniable.
MLB itself highlighted the expanded 2020 postseason context while reporting his record.
But opportunity alone does not produce 10 home runs.
Arozarena still had to hit them.
He faced postseason-calibre pitching through multiple rounds and produced a .377/.442/.831 slash line while setting records for home runs, hits and total bases.
A useful comparison is the 2025 postseason.
Both Ohtani and Guerrero reached eight during deep World Series runs, yet neither reached 10.
That illustrates how difficult the final jump from eight to double digits really is.
Postseason format is part of the story.
It is not the whole story.
Could Someone Break the Record Soon?
Absolutely.
Modern postseason structure creates enough possible games for a player to reach 11 or more home runs.
The 2023 performance of Adolis García and the eight-homer runs of both Ohtani and Guerrero in 2025 show that serious challenges to Arozarena’s mark continue to happen.
A player breaking the record would probably need several things to align:
- A deep team playoff run
- At least one dominant multi-homer series
- Consistent playing time
- Health throughout October
- Enough hittable pitches
- Multiple long series rather than quick sweeps
- Sustained power against elite pitching
The most dangerous situation for the record would be a hitter reaching six or seven home runs before the World Series begins.
That could leave another four to seven games to add to the total.
For now, however, 10 remains the target.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the most home runs in one postseason?
Randy Arozarena holds the MLB record for the most home runs in one postseason, hitting 10 for the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2020 playoffs. He broke the previous record with his ninth homer in Game 4 of the World Series and added No. 10 in Game 6.
Who is second behind Randy Arozarena?
Several players are tied behind Arozarena with eight home runs. The group includes Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Corey Seager, Nelson Cruz, Carlos Beltrán, Barry Bonds and Adolis García.
How many postseason home runs did Shohei Ohtani hit in 2025?
Ohtani hit eight home runs during the 2025 postseason, tying for the second-highest single-postseason total in MLB history. His run included a three-homer game in the NLCS.
What was the postseason home-run record before the Wild Card Era?
The pre-Wild Card Era record was six home runs. Bob Robertson reached six for Pittsburgh in 1971, and Lenny Dykstra matched the mark for Philadelphia in 1993.
Who has the most career postseason home runs?
Manny Ramírez holds the MLB career postseason record with 29 home runs. That is separate from Arozarena’s record of 10 in a single postseason.
Final Thoughts
The record for the most home runs in one postseason belongs to Randy Arozarena, whose 10-homer explosion for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 remains unmatched through the end of the 2025 playoffs.
His record sits only two home runs ahead of an elite group.
Barry Bonds, Carlos Beltrán, Nelson Cruz, Corey Seager, Adolis García, Shohei Ohtani and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have all reached eight. Ohtani and Guerrero became the newest members of that group in 2025.
But the numbers become more meaningful when viewed historically.
Earlier generations played far fewer postseason games. Before the Wild Card Era, six home runs represented the record. As MLB expanded its playoff format, players gained additional opportunities to accumulate October statistics.
Still, more games have not made Arozarena’s record easy to break.
It takes a rare combination of power, timing, health, team success and sustained performance against elite pitching to reach even eight home runs. Reaching double digits requires an even more exceptional run.
That is why Arozarena’s 2020 postseason remains so memorable. He did not simply have a good October. He produced one of the greatest short-term power displays in playoff history—and every future hitter chasing the most home runs in one postseason now has one number to beat: