Oldest players with 3 HR in a game
Posted by Andy on September 18, 2007
Frank Thomas hit 3 homers in a game yesterday, becoming the 4th-oldest player since 1957 to do it. Here's the list of everyone 37 and over (all since1957):
Cnt AgeY.D Date Tm Opp GmReslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF ROE GDP SB CS BOr Positions +----+------+-----------------+-------------+---+----+-------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+---+--+---+--+---+--+--+---+---+--+--+---+---------+ 1 41.229 Stan Musial 1962-07-08 STL @NYM W 15-1 5 4 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4th LF 2 40.123 Reggie Jackson 1986-09-18 CAL KCR W 18-3 6 4 4 3 0 0 3 7 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4th DH 3 39.192 Dave Winfield 1991-04-13 CAL @MIN W 15-9 6 6 4 5 1 0 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4th RF 4 39.113 Frank Thomas 2007-09-17 TOR BOS W 6-1 4 4 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4th DH 5 39.047 Steve Finley 2004-04-28 ARI CHC L 3-4 4 4 3 3 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5th CF 6 38.287 Ted Williams 1957-06-13 BOS @CLE W 9-3 5 5 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3rd LF 7 38.251 Ted Williams 1957-05-08 BOS @CHW W 4-1 5 4 3 3 0 0 3 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3rd LF 8 38.059 Lee Lacy 1986-06-08 BAL @NYY W 18-9 6 6 4 4 0 0 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2nd RF 9 38.034 Barry Bonds 2002-08-27 SFG @COL W 7-4 5 4 4 4 1 0 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3rd LF 10 37.260 Mike Schmidt 1987-06-14 PHI @MON W 11-6 4 4 3 3 0 0 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4th 3B 11 37.207 Larry Walker 2004-06-25 COL @CLE W 10-8 6 4 4 4 1 0 3 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5th RF 12 37.047 Barry Bonds 2001-09-09 SFG @COL W 9-4 6 5 3 3 0 0 3 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3rd LF 13 37.015 Pete Rose 1978-04-29 CIN @NYM W 14-7 6 6 4 5 0 0 3 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1st 3B 14 37.001 Moises Alou 2003-07-04 CHC STL L 8-11 5 5 3 3 0 0 3 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4th LF
A couple of surprising names on this list: Lee Lacy and Pete Rose each had only a handful of 2-HR games, and only one 3-HR game each (both after the age of 37.) By comparison, Reggie Jackson had 42 games with at least 2 HR, including 2 games with 3 each, 17 years apart. (This doesn't count his post-season multi-homer games.)
I wonder if Babe Ruth would've made this list (if the box score data went far back enough,) given that he had 41 HR in his Age 37 season, and 34 and 22 the following years.
September 18th, 2007 at 10:57 am
I just learned that both of Frank Thomas' 3-HR games have come against the Red Sox, and both were started by Tim Wakefield.
The first one was in 1996:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BOS/BOS199609150.shtml
Thomas hit 3 solo homers off Wake.
Yesterday's game (box score link above next to Thomas' name) featured 2 homers off Wakefield and one off Kyle Snyder.
Interestingly, if you look at Thomas' career batter vs pitcher (see link below,) he has the most homers off Mussina, with 9, and then 5 guys with 6 homers against, including Wakefield. However, his overall numbers against Wakefield are far worse than against all the other 6+ homer guys.
Here's the link:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/b-pvb.cgi?year=0&n1=thomafr04#choice=&throws=&minPA2=0&minPA=0&orderbydir=DESC&orderbydirb=ASC&n1=thomafr04&as=batter&year_game=career&opp_id=&orderby=HR&orderbyb=Name
September 18th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
Ruth hit 3 home runs in a game as a member of the Braves. It is recounted by Rob Neyer here. He was 40 yrs and and 108 days. If my internet search is correct, Ruth's only other career 3 homer game came in 1930.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Ty Cobb also had a 3-homer game at 38.432 years of age (he also had a double and two singles in that game).
September 18th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
According to http://www.baseballlibrary.com/chronology/byyear.php?year=1962
Musial's homerun set the record. So I guess that its still the official
record.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
When Steve Finley did it, his team lost 4-3. Ouch.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
I remember watching the Pete Rose game on channel nine (WOR). I was a huge Pete Rose fan, but I only got NY stations, so I made sure to catch the Reds when they played the Mets. As an added bonus, after the game, Ralph Kiner interviewed Rose as part of the Kiner's Korner segment. I was delighted! Say what you will about Pete Rose, he's who hooked me on baseball.
At the time of that game, Pete Rose held the NL record for lifetime HRs for a switch-hitter. It was one of my favorite trivia questions to ask people - although it was short lived, because a few years later Reggie Smith passed Rose. I just did a little research on this record. Prior to Rose, Ripper Collins held the NL record for lifetime HRs for a switch-hitter, with 135. Rose passed him in 1977.
Here's an updated list of lifetime HRs for NL switch-hitters...there might be errors, I am doing this by hand, and it is late.
1. Chipper Jones, 383
2. Lance Berkman, 255
3. Bobby Bonilla, 247
4. Ken Caminiti, 230
5. Howard Johnson, 209
6. Todd Hundley, 202
7. Ted Simmons, 182
8. Reggie Smith, 165
9. Pete Rose, 160
P.S. For more three-HR game tidbits, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_hitters_with_three_home_runs_in_one_game
September 19th, 2007 at 3:52 am
KingTurtle- Bob Horner hit 4 home runs in a game a lost.
Thanks for the link. I was looking for that.
September 19th, 2007 at 11:19 am
OscarAzocar, I guess what really smarts about the Steve Finley game is that the score was 3 to 4, with all three runs being his solo shots. Talk about 3 HRs being a lesson in futility.
P.S. I was going to a number of Yankee games in 1990. Oscar Azocar was a phenom for a month - like he had sold his soul for one month of glory. Rick Ankiel's story this year reminded me of Azocar.