A home run is the most exciting hit in baseball: when a batter hits the ball so hard and so far that they can run all the way around the bases and touch home plate without being put out. The ball usually flies over the outfield fence, though occasionally a batter can achieve an inside-the-park home run by running fast enough while fielders chase down the ball.

When a batter hits a home run, every runner already on base also scores, which is why a grand slam (a home run with runners on all three bases) is such a thrilling moment: it scores four runs at once.

Outside of baseball, people use “home run” to mean any spectacular success. If your science fair project wins first place, your teacher might say you “hit a home run.” If a company launches a product that becomes incredibly popular, they've hit a home run. The phrase captures that feeling of doing something so well that everyone recognizes it immediately.

Baseball legend Babe Ruth became famous partly for hitting 714 home runs during his career, a record that stood for decades. His ability to hit home runs transformed how the game was played and made him one of America's first sports superstars.