List of Major League Baseball single-game home run leaders explained

In baseball, a home run occurs when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process. In modern baseball, the feat is typically achieved by hitting the ball over the outfield fence between the foul poles (or making contact with either foul pole) without first touching the ground, resulting in an automatic home run. There is also the "inside-the-park" home run where the batter reaches home safely while the baseball is in play on the field.

Eighteen players have hit four home runs in a single Major League Baseball (MLB) game, which writers of Sporting News described as "baseball's greatest single-game accomplishment".[1] The most recent to accomplish the feat to date is J. D. Martinez with the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 4, 2017. No player has done this more than once in his career. In the pre-professional era, Lipman Pike also hit five home runs in 1866. No player has ever hit four home runs in a postseason game; that record is three, first accomplished by Babe Ruth in of the 1926 World Series.[2]

According to the Society for American Baseball Research, Oil Cities catcher Jay J. Clarke went 8-8 with eight home runs, a single-game professional record. However, Clarke’s total is disputed, reported by some newspapers as three homers and eight runs scored, but there is no surviving box score to help confirm or deny his feat.

Bobby Lowe was the first to hit four home runs in a single game, doing so on May 30, 1894, for the Boston Beaneaters.[3] Fans were reportedly so excited that they threw $160 in silver coins ($ today) onto the field after his fourth home run.[1] [4] Of all players to achieve the feat, Lowe hit the fewest career home runs, with a total of 71. Two years after Lowe's feat, Ed Delahanty of the Philadelphia Phillies became the second player to hit four home runs in a game. Two other Phillies players have achieved the feat, Chuck Klein in 1932 and Mike Schmidt in 1976. Two other current franchises, the Atlanta Braves (with three) and the Los Angeles Dodgers (with two), have had multiple four-homer games in their history and share the distinction of having one four-homer game in each city they have called home (for the Braves, Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta; for the Dodgers, Brooklyn and Los Angeles). Five current franchises  - the Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and Oakland Athletics  - share the record of having surrendered two four-homer games over their histories. Thirteen of the 30 franchises (as of 2021) have achieved at least one four-homer game, and 12 franchises have surrendered at least one. Eleven have never been involved in a four-homer game at all, although only three of these (Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins) date back to before the 1960s expansion era.

Despite Delahanty's achievement on July 13, 1896, the Phillies lost to the Chicago Colts, one of only two occasions when a player hit four home runs but was on the losing team. The other such occasion took place in 1986, when Bob Horner had four home runs for the Braves, but the Montreal Expos emerged victorious. Following Delahanty's four-home run game in 1896, no other player would accomplish the feat for nearly 36 years, the longest gap between such occurrences. The shortest interval took place in 2002, when Mike Cameron hit his four on May 2, 2002, and Shawn Green repeated the feat 21 days later, on May 23. This was the first time two players had achieved a four-homer game in the same season; this would occur again in 2017 when Scooter Gennett and J. D. Martinez achieved the feat in June and September respectively. When Martinez struck his four home runs for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he became the first player with a four-homer game to hit more homers than his opponents gained base hits.[5]

These games have resulted in other MLB single-game records due to the extreme offensive performance. Mark Whiten tied Jim Bottomley for the most runs batted in in a single game with 12 in his four-homer game.[6] Shawn Green hit a double and a single along with his four home runs for 19 total bases, an MLB record. It surpassed Joe Adcock's mark of 18, which also came from a four-homer game.[7] [8] Carlos Delgado is the only player to make four plate appearances in a game and hit a home run each time.[9] Warren Spahn pitched the ball which Gil Hodges hit for the first of his four, the only Hall of Fame pitcher faced during a four-home-run game.[1] Of the 14 players eligible for the Hall of Fame who have hit four home runs in a game, six have been elected. Players are eligible for the Hall of Fame if they have played in at least 10 major league seasons and have been either retired for five seasons or deceased for at least six months.[10] These requirements leave three players ineligible who are living and have played in the past five seasons and one (Seerey) who did not play 10 seasons in MLB.

Players

PlayerName
DateDate of the game
TeamThe player's team at the time
Opposing teamThe team against whom the player hit four home runs
ScoreFinal score of the game, with the player's team's score listed first
RBIThe number of runs batted in the player had in the game
TBThe number of total bases the player had in the game
Career HRThe number of home runs the player hit in his MLB career
ºThe home runs were in consecutive plate appearances
Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
^MLB record
The player is still active.
The player's team lost the game.
Player!scope="col"
DateTeamOpposing teamScoreRBITBCareer HRRef(s)
ºBoston BeaneatersCincinnati Reds20–11917[11] [12]
Philadelphia PhilliesChicago Colts717101[13] [14]
ºNew York YankeesPhiladelphia Athletics20–13616493[15]
Philadelphia PhilliesPittsburgh Pirates616300[16]
Chicago White SoxPhiladelphia Athletics12–11716[17]
Brooklyn DodgersBoston Braves19–3917370[18]
Milwaukee BravesBrooklyn Dodgers15–7718336[19] [20]
ºCleveland IndiansBaltimore Orioles11–8616374[21] [22]
San Francisco GiantsMilwaukee Braves14–4816660[23] [24]
ºPhiladelphia PhilliesChicago Cubs18–16817548[25] [26]
Atlanta BravesMontreal Expos616218[27] [28]
St. Louis CardinalsCincinnati Reds15–2bgcolor=lightgreen12^16105[29] [30]
ºSeattle MarinersChicago White Sox15–4416278[31] [32]
Los Angeles DodgersMilwaukee Brewers16–37bgcolor=lightgreen19^328[33] [34]
ºToronto Blue JaysTampa Bay Devil Rays10–8616473[35] [36]
Texas RangersBaltimore Orioles10–3818200[37] [38]
ºCincinnati RedsSt. Louis Cardinals13–11017[39] [40]
º*Arizona DiamondbacksLos Angeles Dodgers13–0616315[41] [42]
Note: RBI and TB counts include all plate appearances the player had in the game.
Source:[43] [44] [45]

Unofficial four-home run games

Only one player has ever hit four home runs in a spring training game: Henry Rodriguez of the Los Angeles Dodgers against the New York Mets on April 24, 1995.[46]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Four homers in one game. Hoppel. Jim . Meier, Jim . Deveney, Sean. August 10, 1999. Sporting News. https://web.archive.org/web/20040408051728/http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/sports2000/moments/173391.html. April 8, 2004. September 4, 2010.
  2. News: MLB's three-home run playoff games: From Babe to Reggie, Kennedy to Enrique Hernandez . . October 20, 2017 . August 14, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180814105443/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2017/10/20/mlb-three-home-runs-playoff-game-enrique-hernandez/783026001/ . August 14, 2018 . live .
  3. News: Bobby Lowe Dead at 83 . . 18 . December 10, 1951 . April 16, 2020 . newspapers.com . August 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200803100212/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48840877/bobby-lowe-dead-at-83/ . live .
  4. Book: Suehsdorf, A. D.. 1978. The Great American Baseball Scrapbook. 14. Random House. 0394502531.
  5. News: Perry . Dayn . Diamondbacks' J.D. Martinez hits four home runs against Dodgers . . September 4, 2017 . March 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180702035658/https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/diamondbacks-j-d-martinez-hits-four-home-runs-against-dodgers/ . July 2, 2018 . live .
  6. Book: The SABR Baseball List and Record Book: Baseball's Most Fascinating Records and Unusual Statistics. Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) . Scribner. 2007. 69. 9781416532453.
  7. Book: The SABR Baseball List and Record Book: Baseball's Most Fascinating Records and Unusual Statistics. 9781416532453. Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) . Scribner. 2007. 70.
  8. Web site: May 23, 2002: Shawn Green's epic four-homer, six-hit day against the Brewers. May 23, 2019. Sporting News. March 14, 2020.
  9. Web site: Delgado ties record with four homers. September 25, 2003. ESPN. May 1, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20140203001915/http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=230925114&teams=tampa-bay-devil-rays-vs-toronto-blue-jays. February 3, 2014. dead.
  10. Web site: Rules for Election. National Baseball Hall of Fame. September 4, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100530074537/http://baseballhall.org/hall-famers/rules-election/bbwaa. May 30, 2010. live.
  11. Web site: Bobby Lowe Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20190527205848/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/lowebo01.shtml. May 27, 2019. live.
  12. Web site: Bobby Lowe Career Home Runs . . April 16, 2020 . July 30, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210730082511/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.fcgi?id=lowebo01&t=b . live .
  13. Web site: Ed Delahanty Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20100821021501/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/delahed01.shtml. August 21, 2010. live.
  14. Web site: Ed Delahanty Career Home Runs . . April 16, 2020 . June 8, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200608111526/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.fcgi?id=delahed01&t=b . live .
  15. Web site: Lou Gehrig Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20101203165058/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gehrilo01.shtml. December 3, 2010. live.
  16. Web site: Chuck Klein Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110430112727/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kleinch01.shtml. April 30, 2011. live.
  17. Web site: Pat Seerey Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20100713090847/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/seerepa01.shtml. July 13, 2010. live.
  18. Web site: Gil Hodges Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110430114528/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hodgegi01.shtml. April 30, 2011. live.
  19. Web site: Joe Adcock Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110824022337/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/adcocjo01.shtml. August 24, 2011. live.
  20. News: Joe Adcock Dead at 71; Broke Up Longest No-Hitter. May 4, 1999. Los Angeles Times. March 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200304083301/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-04-sp-33961-story.html. March 4, 2020. live.
  21. Web site: Rocky Colavito Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110416111531/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/colavro01.shtml. April 16, 2011. live.
  22. News: Tribe's Rocky Colavito Ties Record in Majors' Toughest Home Run Park. Wilks. Ed. June 10, 1959. Evening Independent. Associated Press. 6A. September 10, 2010. November 17, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211117225833/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5ronAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eFUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7108%2C1574691&dq=rocky-colavito&hl=en. live.
  23. Web site: Willie Mays Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20090413190522/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mayswi01.shtml. April 13, 2009. live.
  24. News: Giants' Slugging Sets or Ties a Flock of Records. Reichler. Joe. May 1, 1961. The Hour. Associated Press. 14. September 9, 2010. November 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211129061159/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XeogAAAAIBAJ&sjid=q28FAAAAIBAJ&pg=3714%2C162355&dq=willie-mays&hl=en. live.
  25. Web site: Mike Schmidt Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20101203162304/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/schmimi01.shtml. December 3, 2010. live.
  26. News: Mike Schmidt Hits Four Home Runs: Phillies Outslug Chicago,18–16. April 17, 1976. TimesDaily. United Press International. 21. September 9, 2010. November 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211129145154/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GxwsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=J8kEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5218%2C3029533&dq=mike-schmidt&hl=en. live.
  27. Web site: Bob Horner Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20090831125505/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hornebo01.shtml. August 31, 2009. live.
  28. News: National League; Horner Ties Mark with 4 Home Runs. July 7, 1986. New York Times. C4.
  29. Web site: Mark Whiten Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110726233712/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/whitema01.shtml. July 26, 2011. live.
  30. News: Cards' Whiten: 4 HRs, 12 RBI. Allen. Karen. September 8, 1993. USA Today. Sports, 1C.
  31. Web site: Mike Cameron Statistics and History. April 6, 2014. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20100511102702/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/camermi01.shtml. May 11, 2010. live.
  32. Web site: With 4 homers, Cameron crows. Ralph. John. May 2, 2002. MLB.com. Major League Baseball. September 9, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20121105084650/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20020502&content_id=17561. November 5, 2012. live.
  33. Web site: A day for the ages for Green. Gurnick. Ken. May 23, 2002. MLB.com. Major League Baseball. September 9, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20121105084657/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20020523&content_id=333393. November 5, 2012. live.
  34. Web site: Shawn Green Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20190724175812/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/greensh01.shtml. July 24, 2019. live.
  35. Web site: Carlos Delgado Statistics and History. September 4, 2010. Baseball-Reference.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20110430122044/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/delgaca01.shtml. April 30, 2011. live.
  36. Web site: Delgado smashes four homers. Fordin. Spencer. September 25, 2003. MLB.com. Major League Baseball. September 9, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20121105084704/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20030925&content_id=543877. November 5, 2012. live.
  37. Web site: Josh Hamilton Statistics and History. Baseball-Reference.com. April 6, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140404010701/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hamiljo03.shtml. April 4, 2014. live.
  38. Web site: Hamilton makes history with four home runs. May 8, 2012. MLB.com. Major League Baseball. https://web.archive.org/web/20120512033720/http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120508&content_id=30730042&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb. May 12, 2012. live.
  39. Web site: Scooter Gennett hits 4 home runs for Reds to tie MLB record. Kay. Joe. June 7, 2017. Associated Press. June 7, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170623002306/https://apnews.com/8bb9af29b58740f1acc5e4464fdd0a21/Scooter-Gennett-hits-4-home-runs-for-Reds-to-tie-MLB-record. June 23, 2017. live.
  40. Web site: Scooter Gennett Statistics and History. Baseball-Reference.com. November 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171106195040/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gennesc01.shtml. November 6, 2017. live.
  41. News: J.D. Martinez mashes his way to a four-homer game. ESPN. September 4, 2017. September 5, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170905081505/http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/133915/j-d-martinez-mashes-his-way-to-a-four-homer-game. September 5, 2017. live.
  42. Web site: J.D. Martinez Statistics and History. Baseball-Reference.com. November 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171101194032/https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/martijd02.shtml. November 1, 2017. live.
  43. Book: The SABR Baseball List and Record Book: Baseball's Most Fascinating Records and Unusual Statistics. Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) . Scribner. 2007. 65. 9781416532453.
  44. Web site: Four or more home runs in a single game. Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). October 31, 2019. March 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20190806143232/https://sabr.org/research/four-homers-one-game. August 6, 2019. live.
  45. Web site: Four home runs in a game – Rare Feats. MLB.com. Major League Baseball. May 9, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120507162424/http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/history/rare_feats/index.jsp?feature=four_homer_game. May 7, 2012. live.
  46. Web site: Rodriguez: 4 At-Bats, 4 Homers : Dodgers: Right fielder gets final one with count 3-0 and finishes spring training batting .405.. Bob. April 24, 1995. Los Angeles Times. Nightengale. May 5, 2021. May 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210505231237/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-24-sp-58168-story.html. live.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of Major League Baseball single-game home run leaders".

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