With over 130 years of Major League Baseball history to draw from, the MLB single-season batting records featured in this quiz come from all eras. Many of the batting records are from times before most of us were born, while others have just occurred in recent seasons. A few of the records even happened during the dead ball era when runs were scarce to come by.
As with all of our quizzes, we promise it will be a mix of well-known information that casual fans might know, and some deep dives that even the most avid baseball fans will be stumped by.
One thing to note is that in 2024, MLB recognized the Negro Leagues as major league status, meaning that many of the MLB single-season record holders have changed. This means that many of us old-timers who thought we knew our baseball might have some new things to learn.
MLB Single-Season Batting Records Quiz
The following quiz has 20 questions. We promise it’s not one of those where we tell you it’s impossible and then you get every single one correct. If you’ve been a baseball fan for a long time, you’ll probably know your share, but there are plenty that will stump you.
Once you get done here, make sure to check out the rest of our MLB quizzes!
* All MLB single-season hitting records are from Baseball Reference and go back to the 1876 season.
Results
#1. Which player holds the record for the most hits in a single MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Hits Leaders
1. Ichiro Suzuki – 262 in 2004
2. George Sisler – 257 in 1920
3. Lefty O’Doul – 254 in 1929
3. Bill Terry – 254 in 1930
5. Al Simmons – 253 in 1925
#2. Which hitter has posted the highest Slugging Percentage in a single season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Slugging %
1. Josh Gibson – .9744 in 1937
2. Mule Suttles – .8771 in 1926
3. Charlie Smith – .8699 in 1929
4. Josh Gibson – .8675 in 1943
5. Barry Bonds – .8634 in 2001
#3. Which MLB hitter has posted the highest batting average for a single season? (500+ At-Bats)
Top 5 MLB Single-Season AVG (500+ At-Bats)
1. Hugh Duffy – .440 in 1894
2. Willie Keeler – .424 in 1897
3. Rogers Hornsby – .424 in 1924
4. Nap Lajoie – .421 in 1901
5. George Sisler – .420 in 1922
#4. Which on-base machine posted the highest single-season OBP in MLB history?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season OBP
1. Barry Bonds – .6094 in 2004
2. Barry Bonds – .5817 in 2002
3. Josh Gibson – .5596 in 1943
4. Ted Williams – .5528 in 1941
5. Charlie Smith – .5515 in 1929
#5. Which player has had the most plate appearances in a single MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Plate Appearances
1. Jimmy Rollins – 778 in 2007
2. Lenny Dykstra – 773 in 1993
3. Pete Rose – 771 in 1974
4. Dave Cash – 766 in 1975
5. Jos̩ Reyes Р765 in 2007
#6. Which player has had the most at-bats in a single season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season At-Bats
1. Jimmy Rollins – 716 in 2007
2. Willie Wilson – 705 in 1980
3. Ichiro Suzuki – 704 in 2004
4. Juan Samuel – 701 in 1984
5. Dave Cash – 699 in 1975
5. Juan Pierre in 699 in 2006
#7. Which hitter holds the MLB single-season record for runs scored?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Record Runs Scored
1. Billy Hamilton – 198 in 1894
2. Tom Brown – 177 in 1891
2. Babe Ruth – 177 in 1921
4. Lou Gehrig – 167 in 1936
4. Tip O’Neill – 167 in 1887
#8. Which player has hit the most doubles in a single MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Record for Doubles
1. Earl Webb – 67 in 1931
2. George Burns – in 64 1926
Joe Medwick -64 in 1936
4. Hank Greenberg – in 63 1934
5. Paul Waner – 62 in 1932
#9. Who owns the MLB single-season record for Triples?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Triples Leaders
1. Owen Wilson – 36 in 1912
2. Dave Orr – 31 in 1886
3. Henry Reitz – 31 in 1894
4. Perry Werden – 29 in 1893
5. Harry Davis – 28 in 1897
5. Sam Thompson – 28 in 1894
#10. Which slugger hit the most home runs in a single season? No judgements here!
Top 5 MLB Single-Season HR Leaders
1. Barry Bonds – 73 in 2001
2. Mark McGwire – 70 in 1998
3. Sammy Sosa – 66 in 1998
4. Mark McGwire – 65 in 1999
5. Sammy Sosa – 64 in 2001
#11. Who holds the MLB single-season record for most runs batted in?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season RBI Leaders
1. Hack Wilson – 191 1930
2. Lou Gehrig – 185 1931
3. Hank Greenberg – 184 1937
4. Jimmie Foxx – 175 1938
5. Lou Gehrig – 173 1927
#12. Which speedster has stolen the most bases in a single MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Stolen Base Leaders
1. Hugh Nicol – 138 in 1887
2. Rickey Henderson – 130 in 1982
3. Arlie Latham – 129 in 1887
4. Lou Brock – 118 in 1974
5. Charlie Comiskey – 117 in 1887
#13. Which player has drawn the most walks in a single MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Bases on Balls Leaders
1. Barry Bonds – 232 in 2004
2. Barry Bonds – 198 in 2002
3. Barry Bonds – 177 in 2001
4. Babe Ruth – 170 in 1923
5. Mark McGwire – 162 in 1998
5. Ted Williams – 162 in 1947
5. Ted Williams – 162 in 1949
#14. Talk about Hall of Shame… Which hitter has struck out the most times in a single MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Batter Strikeout Leaders
1. Mark Reynolds – 223 in 2009
2. Adam Dunn – 222 in 2012
3. James Wood – 221 in 2025
4. Chris Davis – 219 in 2016
5. Elly De La Cruz – 218 in 2024
#15. Ouch! Which batter holds the MLB record for most times being hit by a pitch in a single season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season HBP Leaders
1. Hughie Jennings – 51 in 1896
2. Ron Hunt – 50 in 1971
3. Hughie Jennings – 46 in 1897
3. Hughie Jennings – 46 in 1898
5. Dan McGann – 39 in 1898
#16. Which “speedster” has been caught stealing the most times in a single MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Caught Stealing Leaders
1. Rickey Henderson – 42 in 172
2. Ty Cobb – 38 in 1915
3. George Burns – 35 in 1913
4. Ty Cobb – 34 in 1912
5. Lou Brock – 33 in 1974
5. Harry Lord – 33 in 1912
5. Omar Moreno – 33 in 1980
#17. Which slugger put up the most total bases in a single season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Total Bases Leaders
1. Babe Ruth – 457 in 1921
2. Rogers Hornsby – 450 in 1922
3. Lou Gehrig – 447 in 1927
4. Chuck Klein – 445 in 1930
5. Jimmie Foxx – 438 in 1932
#18. What batter has been on base the most times in one MLB season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Times on Base Leaders
1. Babe Ruth – 379 in 1923
2. Barry Bonds – 376 in 2004
3. Billy Hamilton – 362 in 1894
4. Ted Williams – 358 in 1949
5. Barry Bonds – 356 in 2002
#19. What batter has made the most outs in a single Major League season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season Outs Made Leaders
1. Omar Moreno – 560 in 1980
2. Frank Taveras – 545 in 1979
3. Horace Clarke – 542 in 1970
4. Sandy Alomar – 536 in 1971
4. Jos̩ Reyes Р536 in 2005
4. Bobby Richardson – in 536 1964
#20. Who has posted the highest OPS (OBP% + Slug%) in a single MLB Season?
Top 5 MLB Single-Season OPS Leaders
1. Josh Gibson – 1.4744 in 1937
2. Josh Gibson – 1.4271 in 1943
3. Barry Bonds – 1.4217 in 2004
4. Charlie Smith – 1.4214 in 1929
5. Barry Bonds – 1.3807 in 2002
