Hank Greenberg Hall of Fame MLB

Hank Greenberg was one of the most feared sluggers of baseball’s Golden Age and a trailblazing Jewish-American athlete. Playing most of his career with the Detroit Tigers, Greenberg crushed 331 home runs and drove in 1,276 runs in just 1,394 games. A two-time AL MVP, he hit 58 homers in 1938 — just two shy of Babe Ruth’s record — and led the league in RBIs four times.

He missed nearly four full seasons while serving in World War II, yet returned in 1945 to help the Tigers win a World Series title with a clutch pennant-clinching homer. Greenberg was known not just for his bat but also for his courage, dignity, and role in breaking barriers during a time of cultural tension.

He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1956 and remains one of the greatest power hitters and role models in baseball history.

Greenberg's Awards and Records

• 5× All-Star (1937–1940, 1945)
• 2× World Series champion (1935, 1945)
• 2× AL MVP (1935, 1940)
• 4× AL home run leader (1935, 1938, 1940, 1946)
• 4× AL RBI leader (1935, 1937, 1940, 1946)
• Detroit Tigers No. 5 retired
• Only player to win MVPs at two different positions

MLB Records

• One of only two players to win AL MVP at two different positions
• Hit 58 home runs in 1938 – the most in the AL between 1928 and 1961
• First Jewish-American superstar in Major League Baseball
• One of five players with 100+ RBIs in 7 consecutive seasons (1934–1940)

MLB Teams:

Detroit Tigers (1930, 1933–1941, 1945–1946)
Pittsburgh Pirates (1947)