The Best Brothers In Major League Baseball History

A countdown of the best siblings in Major League Baseball history

Baseball is a family game in many aspects, and many times genetics have a lot to do with success. Therefore, it's not a surprise that many of the top baseball players in history had brothers that were pretty good, too.

These are the best of the best, the top pairs or trios with the most potent gene pools in the game's history. And this list takes into account the careers of each brother - so while Henry and Tommie Aaron have the most home runs for brothers with 756, one brother has 755 of them. That means you won't see them on our list of the best. 

01
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Paul and Lloyd Waner

Paul and Lloyd Waner
Paul and Lloyd Waner. B Bennett/Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Paul and Lloyd were known as "Big Poison" and "Little Poison" and are the only brothers in the Hall of Fame. Big Poison - all 5-feet-8 of him, was Paul, who played outfield for the Pirates and had 3,152 hits and a .333 batting average in a 20-year career. Little Poison (5-9, 150 pounds) was Lloyd, who played most of his 18-year career in Pittsburgh and had 2,459 hits and a .316 career average.

02
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Vince, Joe and Dom DiMaggio

Rookie Joe DiMaggio, center, hugs his brothers Vince, left, and Dom, before the start of the 1936 World Series
Rookie Joe DiMaggio, center, hugs his brothers Vince, left, and Dom, before the start of the 1936 World Series. Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

There were three DiMaggio brothers, and the oldest was actually the least talented. Vince played in 10 seasons but was most successful when his younger brothers were off at war. He did drive in 100 runs for the Pirates in 1941, which was the year Hall of Famer Joe was the AL MVP, with the famous 56-game hitting streak, a record that might never be broken. Joe, of course, was one of the greatest Yankees of all time, hitting .325 in a 13-year career. Dom was the youngest and was a stalwart in center field for the Red Sox for a decade, with a career .298 average. Dom might have joined Joe in the Hall of Fame if he didn't lose four seasons because of World War II.

03
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Phil and Joe Niekro

Pitcher Phil Niekro #35 (right) and brother Joe Niekro #31 (left) of the New York Yankees
Pitcher Phil Niekro #35 (right) and brother Joe Niekro #31 (left) of the New York Yankees. Focus On Sport/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

The calling card of the Niekro brothers was the knuckleball, and they were the masters in the 1970s and into the 1980s. Phil, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, starred for the Braves for most of his 24-year career that ended when he was 48 years old after 318 wins. Joe was five years younger and won 221 games, mostly for the Astros, giving the Niekro brothers 539 wins, a record for brothers.

04
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Jim and Gaylord Perry

Gaylord Perry
Gaylord Perry. Rich Pilling/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Gaylord and Jim Perry were crafty right-handers with a combined 529 victories. Gaylord is the younger brother, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame after a 22-year career, 314 wins and two Cy Young awards. Jim Perry wasn't shabby himself, winning 215 games in a 17-year career, including 20-win seasons with the Twins in 1969 and 1970. They were teammates for the Cleveland Indians in 1974 and 1975.

05
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Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou

Dona Virginia Alou holding photo of her sons Matty, Felipe and Jesus Alou
Dona Virginia Alou holding photo of her sons Matty, Felipe and Jesus Alou. Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Felipe led the way with 2,101 hits from 1958-74. Matty had 1,777 from 1960-74 and Jesus had 1,216 from 1963-79. They made history in 1963 when all three played for the Giants and batted in succession against the New York Mets. The Alou brothers, three of the first players from the Dominican Republic in the majors, played a combined 47 seasons.

06
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Ramon and Pedro Martinez

Pedro and Ramon Martinez
Pedro and Ramon Martinez. Courtesy MLB.com

Also from the Dominican Republic, the Martinez brothers both came up in the Dodgers organization to dominate with good fastballs and knee-buckling changeups. Ramon was the older brother, winning 20 games at age 22 with the Dodgers on the way to a 13-year career shortened by injury. He went 135-88 with a 3.67 ERA. Pedro Martinez is a sure Hall of Famer someday, with a 214-99 record entering 2009. He won three ​Cy Young Awards in four seasons from 1997-2000 and a World Series with the Red Sox in 2004.

07
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Dizzy and Paul Dean

Paul and Dizzy Dean
Paul and Dizzy Dean. FPG/Archive Photos/Getty Images

Their names were Jay and Paul, but they were better known as Dizzy and Daffy. Dizzy Dean was one of the great pitchers of the 1930s, even though he flamed out early because of injury. He incredibly won 102 games from 1933-36 for the St. Louis Cardinals and is in the Hall of Fame. Paul Dean was known as Daffy, but that was a creation of the press at the time. Paul was actually a serious guy and his career was even briefer. They did combine for 49 victories for the Cardinals in 1934, a record for brothers that will be very hard to break.

08
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Sandy and Roberto Alomar

Roberto and Sandy Alomar
Roberto and Sandy Alomar. Focus On Sport/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

The sons of former big-leaguer Sandy Alomar surpassed their father on the field. Sandy Alomar Jr. is the older brother and was one of the top catchers of the 1990s with the Indians, leading Cleveland to two American League pennants. He had 1,236 hits. Roberto was one of the best second basemen of his generation and is a borderline Hall of Famer after a 17-year career. He hit .300 in his career with 2,724 hits and was a 10-time Gold Glove winner. The Alomars, teammates in Cleveland for three seasons, combined for 18 All-Star Game appearances.

09
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Cloyd, Ken and Clete Boyer

Clete Boyer
Clete Boyer. Focus On Sport/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Three Boyer brothers played in the majors in the 1950s. Cloyd was the oldest (and least successful), going 20-23 as a pitcher from 1949-55. Ken and Clete were third basemen. Ken, the middle brother, was the most successful, hitting .287 with 282 homers and winning six Gold Gloves from 1955-69, mostly with the Cardinals. Clete was perhaps more famous than Ken as the third baseman for the great Yankees teams of the early 1960s. But he only hit .242 lifetime. Only the Aarons and DiMaggios hit more homers as brothers (444) than the Boyers.

10
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Ken and George Brett

George Brett
George Brett. Ken Levine/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images

Hall of Famer George was the younger brother, and he led the way with a .305 average and 317 homers in a 21-year career in Kansas City. The Royals was one of many stops for journeyman pitcher Ken, who went 83-85 with a 3.93 ERA in 14 seasons.