Post-Season Pinch-Hit Home Runs
Posted by Raphy on October 11, 2010
In the comment section of another thread there has been a bit of a discussion about post-season pinch-hit home runs. You can create the entire list by using the Postseason Batter Event finder, searching All Teams for Home Runs and filtering for Position "PH". (I don't know if the PH for DH definition problem exists here or not.) Here is the complete list of 51:
| Cr# | Gm# | Date | Series | Gm# | Batter | Tm | Opp | Pitcher | Score | Inn | RoB | Out | Pit(cnt) | RBI | Play Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1947-10-02 | WS | 3 | Yogi Berra | NYY | @BRO | Ralph Branca | down 9-7 | t7 | --- | 1 | 1 | Home Run (CF-RF) | |
| 2 | 1 | 1952-10-03 | WS | 3 | Johnny Mize | NYY | BRO | Preacher Roe | down 5-2 | b9 | --- | 1 | 1 | Home Run (Deep RF) | |
| 3 | 1 | 1953-09-30 | WS | 1 | George Shuba | BRO | @NYY | Allie Reynolds | down 5-2 | t6 | 1-- | 1 | 2 | Home Run (Deep RF); Cox Scores | |
| 4 | 1 | 1954-09-29 | WS | 1 | Dusty Rhodes | NYG | CLE | Bob Lemon | tied 2-2 | b10 | 12- | 1 | 3 | *ENDED GAME*:Home Run (Deep RF); Mays Scores; Thompson Scores | |
| 5 | 1 | 1954-10-02 | WS | 4 | Hank Majeski | CLE | NYG | Don Liddle | down 7-0 | b5 | 12- | 2 | 3 | Home Run (Deep LF); Dente Scores/unER; Hegan Scores/unER; Majeski Scores/unER | |
| 6 | 1 | 1955-10-02 | WS | 5 | Bob Cerv | NYY | @BRO | Roger Craig | down 4-1 | t7 | --- | 0 | 1 | Home Run (Deep LF) | |
| 7 | 1 | 1959-10-02 | WS | 2 | Chuck Essegian | LAD | @CHW | Bob Shaw | down 2-1 | t7 | --- | 2 | 1 | Home Run (Deep LF) | |
| 8 | 1 | 1959-10-08 | WS | 6 | Chuck Essegian | LAD | @CHW | Ray Moore | ahead 3-8 | t9 | --- | 0 | 1 | Home Run (Deep LF) | |
| 9 | 1 | 1960-10-05 | WS | 1 | Elston Howard | NYY | @PIT | Roy Face | down 6-2 | t9 | 1-- | 1 | 2 | Home Run (Deep RF); Richardson Scores | |
| 10 | 1 | 1961-10-07 | WS | 3 | Johnny Blanchard | NYY | @CIN | Bob Purkey | down 2-1 | t8 | --- | 2 | 1 | Home Run (Deep RF) | |
| 11 | 1 | 1975-10-14 | WS | 3 | Bernie Carbo | BOS | @CIN | Clay Carroll | down 5-2 | t7 | --- | 2 | 1 (0-0) | 1 | Home Run (Deep LF) |
| 12 | 1 | 1975-10-21 | WS | 6 | Bernie Carbo | BOS | CIN | Rawly Eastwick | down 6-3 | b8 | 12- | 2 | 5 (2-2) | 3 | Home Run (Deep CF); Lynn Scores; Petrocelli Scores |
| 13 | 1 | 1978-10-04 | NLCS | 1 | Jerry Martin | PHI | LAD | Bob Welch | down 9-4 | b9 | --- | 1 | 1 (0-0) | 1 | Home Run |
| 14 | 1 | 1978-10-07 | NLCS | 4 | Bake McBride | PHI | @LAD | Rick Rhoden | down 3-2 | t7 | --- | 2 | 2 (0-1) | 1 | Home Run |
| 15 | 1 | 1979-10-03 | ALCS | 1 | John Lowenstein | BAL | CAL | John Montague | tied 3-3 | b10 | 12- | 2 | 3 (0-2) | 3 | *ENDED GAME*:Home Run; DeCinces Scores; Bumbry Scores |
| 16 | 1 | 1981-10-10 | NLDS | 4 | George Vukovich | PHI | MON | Jeff Reardon | tied 5-5 | b10 | --- | 0 | 1 | *ENDED GAME*:Home Run | |
| 17 | 1 | 1981-10-24 | WS | 4 | Jay Johnstone | LAD | NYY | Ron Davis | down 6-3 | b6 | 1-- | 1 | 4 (1-2) | 2 | Home Run (Deep CF-RF); Scioscia Scores |
| 18 | 1 | 1985-10-09 | ALCS | 2 | Pat Sheridan | KCR | @TOR | Tom Henke | down 4-3 | t9 | --- | 0 | 1 | Home Run | |
| 19 | 1 | 1987-10-09 | NLCS | 3 | Harry Spilman | SFG | STL | Todd Worrell | down 6-4 | b9 | --- | 2 | 6 (3-2) | 1 | Home Run |
| 20 | 1 | 1988-10-15 | WS | 1 | Kirk Gibson | LAD | OAK | Dennis Eckersley | down 4-3 | b9 | -2- | 2 | 7 (3-2) | 2 | *ENDED GAME*:Home Run (Line Drive to Deep RF); Davis Scores |
| 21 | 1 | 1989-10-27 | WS | 3 | Bill Bathe | SFG | OAK | Gene Nelson | down 13-3 | b9 | -23 | 1 | 2 (1-0) | 3 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep LF); Oberkfell Scores; Manwaring Scores |
| 22 | 1 | 1991-10-11 | ALCS | 3 | Mike Pagliarulo | MIN | @TOR | Mike Timlin | tied 2-2 | t10 | --- | 1 | 2 (1-0) | 1 | Home Run (Line Drive to Deep RF) |
| 23 | 1 | 1991-10-22 | WS | 3 | Chili Davis | MIN | @ATL | Alejandro Pena | down 4-2 | t8 | 1-- | 0 | 3 (1-1) | 2 | Home Run (Line Drive to Deep LF); Harper Scores/unER; Davis Scores |
| 24 | 1 | 1992-10-18 | WS | 2 | Ed Sprague | TOR | @ATL | Jeff Reardon | down 4-3 | t9 | 1-- | 1 | 1 (0-0) | 2 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep LF); Bell Scores |
| 25 | 1 | 1995-10-06 | NLDS | 3 | Mark Lewis | CIN | LAD | Mark Guthrie | ahead 1-3 | b6 | 123 | 0 | 5 (2-2) | 4 | Home Run (Fly Ball to LF-CF); Morris Scores; Santiago Scores; Boone Scores |
| 26 | 1 | 1998-10-01 | NLDS | 2 | Jim Leyritz | SDP | @HOU | Billy Wagner | down 4-2 | t9 | 1-- | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 2 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep RF Line); Caminiti Scores |
| 27 | 1 | 1998-10-12 | NLCS | 5 | Greg Myers | SDP | ATL | Kerry Ligtenberg | down 7-4 | b9 | 1-- | 0 | 6 (3-2) | 2 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep RF Line); Sweeney Scores |
| 28 | 1 | 1999-10-08 | NLDS | 3 | Turner Ward | ARI | @NYM | Rick Reed | down 3-0 | t5 | -2- | 0 | 2 | Home Run; Stinnett Scores | |
| 29 | 1 | 2000-10-05 | NLDS | 2 | J.T. Snow | SFG | NYM | Armando Benitez | down 4-1 | b9 | 12- | 1 | 4 (2-1) | 3 | Home Run (RF Line); Bonds Scores; Kent Scores |
| 30 | 1 | 2000-10-05 | NLDS | 2 | Mark McGwire | STL | ATL | Mike Remlinger | ahead 4-9 | b8 | --- | 0 | 4 (1-2) | 1 | Home Run |
| 31 | 1 | 2001-10-12 | NLDS | 3 | Daryle Ward | HOU | @ATL | John Burkett | down 4-0 | t7 | 1-- | 1 | 3 (1-1) | 2 | Home Run; Eusebio Scores |
| 32 | 1 | 2001-10-20 | ALCS | 3 | Jay Buhner | SEA | @NYY | Jay Witasick | ahead 3-12 | t9 | --- | 1 | 3 (2-0) | 1 | Home Run |
| 33 | 1 | 2001-10-21 | NLCS | 5 | Erubiel Durazo | ARI | @ATL | Tom Glavine | tied 1-1 | t5 | 1-- | 2 | 6 (2-2) | 2 | Home Run; Gonzalez Scores/unER; Durazo Scores/unER |
| 34 | 1 | 2002-10-09 | NLCS | 1 | J.D. Drew | STL | SFG | Tim Worrell | down 9-5 | b8 | --- | 2 | 6 (3-2) | 1 | Home Run (CF-RF) |
| 35 | 1 | 2002-10-10 | NLCS | 2 | Eduardo Perez | STL | SFG | Jason Schmidt | down 3-0 | b8 | --- | 2 | 2 (1-0) | 1 | Home Run |
| 36 | 1 | 2003-10-04 | ALDS | 3 | Trot Nixon | BOS | OAK | Rich Harden | tied 1-1 | b11 | 1-- | 1 | 3 (1-1) | 2 | *ENDED GAME*:Home Run (Fly Ball); Mirabelli Scores |
| 37 | 1 | 2003-10-07 | NLCS | 1 | Mike Lowell | FLA | @CHC | Mark Guthrie | tied 8-8 | t11 | --- | 0 | 6 (3-2) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 38 | 1 | 2003-10-13 | ALCS | 4 | Ruben Sierra | NYY | @BOS | Scott Williamson | down 3-1 | t9 | --- | 1 | 4 (1-2) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 39 | 1 | 2003-10-15 | NLCS | 7 | Troy O'Leary | CHC | FLA | Josh Beckett | down 9-5 | b7 | --- | 2 | 6 (3-2) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 40 | 1 | 2003-10-23 | WS | 5 | Jason Giambi | NYY | @FLA | Braden Looper | down 6-2 | t9 | --- | 1 | 5 (2-2) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball to CF-RF) |
| 41 | 1 | 2004-10-13 | NLCS | 1 | Mike Lamb | HOU | @STL | Julian Tavarez | down 10-6 | t9 | --- | 2 | 4 (2-1) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball to LF-CF) |
| 42 | 1 | 2005-10-04 | NLDS | 1 | Eric Young | SDP | @STL | Randy Flores | down 8-1 | t8 | --- | 0 | 4 (1-2) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 43 | 1 | 2005-10-12 | NLCS | 1 | Chris Burke | HOU | @STL | Chris Carpenter | down 5-0 | t7 | 1-- | 2 | 3 (2-0) | 2 | Home Run (Fly Ball); Everett Scores |
| 44 | 1 | 2006-10-07 | NLDS | 3 | So Taguchi | STL | SDP | Scott Linebrink | down 3-0 | b8 | --- | 0 | 5 (0-2) | 1 | Home Run (Line Drive) |
| 45 | 1 | 2006-10-17 | NLCS | 5 | Chris Duncan | STL | NYM | Pedro Feliciano | ahead 2-3 | b6 | --- | 1 | 6 (3-2) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 46 | 1 | 2007-10-28 | WS | 4 | Bobby Kielty | BOS | @COL | Brian Fuentes | ahead 1-3 | t8 | --- | 0 | 1 (0-0) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 47 | 1 | 2008-10-13 | NLCS | 4 | Matt Stairs | PHI | @LAD | Jonathan Broxton | tied 5-5 | t8 | 1-- | 2 | 5 (3-1) | 2 | Home Run (Fly Ball); Ruiz Scores |
| 48 | 1 | 2008-10-26 | WS | 4 | Eric Hinske | TBR | @PHI | Joe Blanton | down 5-1 | t5 | --- | 2 | 4 (2-1) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 49 | 1 | 2009-10-21 | NLCS | 5 | Orlando Hudson | LAD | @PHI | Cole Hamels | down 6-2 | t5 | --- | 1 | 4 (2-1) | 1 | Home Run (Line Drive) |
| 50 | 1 | 2009-10-31 | WS | 3 | Hideki Matsui | NYY | @PHI | Brett Myers | ahead 4-7 | t8 | --- | 2 | 3 (1-1) | 1 | Home Run (Fly Ball) |
| 51 | 1 | 2010-10-10 | NLDS | 3 | Eric Hinske | ATL | SFG | Sergio Romo | down 1-0 | b8 | 1-- | 1 | 6 (2-2) | 2 | Home Run (Line Drive to Deep RF Line); Gonzalez Scores |
EDIT:I was correct above that there are PH for DH missing in the above list. We can find them with the batting game finder. Here are the missing PH HRs:
| Rk | Player | Date | Series | Gm# | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | IBB | SO | HBP | SH | SF | ROE | GDP | SB | CS | WPA | RE24 | BOP | Pos. Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eric Bruntlett | 2008-10-23 | WS | 2 | PHI | TBR | L 2-4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.020 | 1.000 | .130 | 7 | PH DH |
| 2 | David Justice | 2001-10-15 | ALDS | 5 | NYY | OAK | W 5-3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.104 | 0.611 | .470 | 2 | PH DH |
| 3 | Jim Leyritz | 1999-10-27 | WS | 4 | NYY | ATL | W 4-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.043 | 1.000 | .270 | 6 | PH DH |
| 4 | Ricky Ledee | 1999-10-17 | ALCS | 4 | NYY | BOS | W 9-2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.024 | 2.639 | .430 | 6 | PH DH |
| 5 | Eric Davis | 1997-10-13 | ALCS | 5 | BAL | CLE | W 4-2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.045 | 1.000 | .350 | 4 | PH DH |
October 11th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Hinske is the 3rd guy to do it twice, 1st to do it with mulitple teams and in separate seasons/series.
October 11th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Whenever I am feeling down, I watch Moonshot by Matt Stairs on youtube.
October 11th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Wow, and two PITCHERS "did" it twice. Mark Guthrie 95 and '03, in Jeff Reardon in '81 and '92. Both were with different teams each time, and more than a few years apart. Both journeyman types....
October 11th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Since Dan Driessen is not on this list, I don't think any DHs are here (except for PH-for-a-DH, maybe).
October 11th, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Jeff Reardon twice, Bob Guthrie twice, and, most interestingly to me, both of the Worrell brothers. I'm guessing it's not brought up much at family get-togethers.
October 11th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Hmmm, I wonder why Erubial Durazo pinch hit for Mark Grace in the 5th inning in 2001? I guess Bob Brenly is a genius, because his homer was the difference.
October 11th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Off topic, but on page 404 of a recent Willie Mays biography, it says Mays holds a record that should never get touched.
Apparently, Mays has home runs in every inning of MLB games from 1-16. Can somebody get the list for this record and who the closest potential players would be to breaking it?
October 11th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Only one GS from what I see. Mark Lewis.
October 11th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
Um, Jeff Reardon was not a journeyman type.
October 11th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
He played for 5 teams in his last 6 seasons.... it's justifiable that someone would call him a journeyman type. I'm not saying he's the posterchild for journeymen.... but it's not crazy.
October 11th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
What about Geoff Blum for the White Sox in game 3 of the 2005 World Series?
October 11th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Oh, Blum was a defensive substitution (2B) the inning before.
October 11th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I was missing 5 PH HRs that were for DHs. I have posted them below the original post.
October 11th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Maybe justifiable to someone who doesn't remember Reardon. He was considered one of the top closers around for many years, and was briefly the career saves leader. Is Steve Carlton a journeyman too, for playing with 5 teams in his last 3 seasons?
October 12th, 2010 at 12:41 am
Thus ends Eric Hinske's quest to play in the World Series in four consecutive years with four different teams.
October 12th, 2010 at 1:22 am
Journeyman, to me = more than a couple teams, and not the top dog on the roster. Reardon had the good saves for a spell, a little black ink, but he was ultimately not an A-lister. Semantics aside, I did enjoy noting both Worrells. I imagine this is a list they have no idea they're on.
I do love the lists like this: bringing up all sorts of old names and memories. Nice work.
October 12th, 2010 at 2:44 am
Sure there was a short period of time where Carlton would have been considered a journeyman. Maybe for only 3 years. But if you are suggesting that 5 teams in 6 seasons isn't even anything resembling a journeyman then you clearly don't have the same definition that I do.
I'm not, nor ever said, Reardon was just a pushover journeyman. Many many good players have turned into journeymen at the end of their careers. Just because a player was great for a certain period of time doesn't mean that that player is always considered great. I mean, Steve Carlton's last 4 years in the league sucked... it doesn't mean he was a crappy pitcher. It just means that for a certain period of time in his career he sucked.
October 12th, 2010 at 9:59 am
Interesting that no one did this before 1947. Did teams just not use pinch hitters in the postseason (at the time, just the World Series) as much back then?
The, after happening nine times in nine years during the '50s and early '60s, Carbo's two blasts in the 1975 World Series were the only occurences between 1961 and 1978, despite the expansion of the postseason during that era. That this was an era of relatively low offense may have played a role.
October 12th, 2010 at 10:37 am
I'll never forget the Kirk Gibson home run in 1988. I was watching that game and rooting for the A's since I was an American League fan. Unbelievable!
October 12th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Interesting that no one did this before 1947. Did teams just not use pinch hitters in the postseason (at the time, just the World Series) as much back then?
In general, early-20th-century teams didn't use pinch hitters as much in the World Series as teams do today. Through 1943, the average number of pinch hitters appearing in a World Series was fewer than nine, with a high of 19 in 1920 (long, sloppy Series) and a low of two in 1905 (short, well-pitched Series). Both the 1944 and 1945 Series established new highs for total numbers of pinch hitters (20 and 25, respectively). The 1947 Series set yet another high, as Brooklyn, with its outfield and third-base platoons and miserable starting-pitcher performances, used 19 of a record 30 pinch hitters.
World Series pinch-hitter stats, through 1946: 411 PA, 63 H (52 singles, 11 doubles), 37 BB, 94 K, 9 GDP, 12 ROE, 8 SF, 2 HBP, for a slash line of .173/.248/.203/.451. Up through '46, pinch hitters were almost never used by teams leading in the game — only 22 plate appearances (5.4% of all PH PAs), compared with 112 plate appearances since 1947 (11.8%).
Between 1948 and 1971, the average number of pinch hitters used in World Series leveled off at a higher number, 15.6, then had a succession of peaks and valleys over the next 13 seasons. After the Reds and A's rolled out 26 pinch hitters in the 1972 Series, Dick Williams and Yogi Berra used 33 in the first Series of the DH Era, a tight seven-game affair in which no DH was employed and Williams hit for his second basemen whenever possible. From 1974 until 1985, the last year of alternating DH/no-DH World Series, the numbers of pinch hitters used swung predictably from very low to very high: 15 in 1974, then 21, 7, 16, 9, 33 (1979 — Baltimore 22, Pittsburgh 11), 7, 23, 4 (1982 — Gene Tenace facing Bob McClure each time), 24, 8, 20. Since 1986, when the rules of the home team's league began to determine whether a DH could be used, the number of pinch hitters has remained steady at an average of about 14, with the glaring exception of the 1991 Series, in which the Braves and Twins combined to tie the record of 33 pinch hitters, twelve in Game 3 alone. No World Series since 2003 has topped 13 pinch hitters — not a big surprise, since recent Series have been short and teams' benches have been small.
October 12th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
Nice work Kahuna!