Only Babe Ruth had more American League (AL) home runs than him, and he was the AL career leader in home runs by a right-handed batter. In 1984, Killebrew was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Killebrew stood 5'11" (180 cm) tall and weighed 213 pounds (97 kg). He played in the AL from 1956 through 1976. Killebrew got his nickname "Harmon" when he came up as a rookie with the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League (PCL). At the time, the team was coached by Charlie Harmon who later became known as "Buck" Harmon. The team's manager noticed that Kilebrew had a good swing and asked him why he didn't use his size to help him hit the ball out of the park. From then on, he told reporters, everyone called him "Harmon." In 1957, at the age of 24, Killebrew broke the AL record for most home runs by a right-handed hitter with 47, which is still standing today. From 1958 to 1976, he never once had a season with less than 40 home runs. During that period, there were only two other players who hit over 30 homers twice: Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx. In 1977, Killebrew finished with 29 homers but missed the entire 1978 season due to knee surgery.