11 Players Who Have Slugged 3 Home Runs in a Postseason Game
Only one of them has done it twice. You can probably guess who it is.
When it comes to hitting 3 home runs in a postseason game, 11 different sluggers share the record.
As you'll see below, Babe Ruth just had to differentiate himself by doing it twice. Someone had to, I guess. This list is great because of its variety. There are Hall of Famers like Ruth, Reggie Jackson, George Brett, and Adrian Beltre (with Albert Pujols soon to follow). There's Jose Altuve, who will soon be MLB's all-time postseason home run king. And then there are dudes you'd never expect to see like Chris Taylor, Kike Hernandez, and Adam Kennedy.
Let's dig into some of the details for this special group of sluggers.
Related: The Definitive Guide to Postseason Home Run Leaders
Players With 3 Home Runs in a Postseason Game
Babe Ruth, New York Yankees
October 6, 1926, World Series Game 4 vs. Cardinals
October 9, 1928, World Series Game 4 vs. Cardinals (again)
Ruth is not only the only slugger to accomplish this feat twice, but he nearly did it on the same day two years apart. However, the fact that he did it in Game 4 of the World Series against the Cardinals both times is poetic if you ask me.
New York lost the 1926 Fall Classic to St. Louis in seven games. Ruth slashed .300/.548/.900 with four homers and five RBI during the matchup. However, his three-homer game in 1928 helped secure a sweep for the Bombers. While those were the only dingers he hit, Ruth posted a ridiculous .625/.647/1.375 line in 17 plate appearances.
Bob Robertson, Pittsburgh Pirates
October 3, 1971, NLCS Game 2 vs. Giants
Bob Robertson enjoyed his three-homer performance during Pittsburgh’s 1971 championship run. He hit 26 homers in the regular season. It was his second straight year with 20-plus dingers, and it was the last time he surpassed that mark during his MLB career.
Robertson posted a 1.688 OPS in 16 plate appearances during the '71 NLCS. The first baseman hit all six of his career postseason homers in 1971 – six in the NLCS and two more in the World Series.
Reggie Jackson, New York Yankees
October 18, 1977, World Series Game 6 vs. Dodgers
Is Reggie Jackson’s three-homer performance during the ’77 World Series the most famous of all? I mean, he did earn the nickname Mr. October, so it feels likely. He won Series MVP honors thanks to slashing .450/.542/1.250 with five homers and eight RBI in 24 plate appearances.
Jackson just loved playing in October, though. The five-time champion posted a .885 OPS with 18 homers and 48 RBI in 77 career playoff games. He reached the top of the baseball mountain with the Athletics three times and twice more with the Yankees.
George Brett, Kansas City Royals
October 6, 1978, ALCS Game 3 vs. Yankees
George Brett is a legendary hitter, evidenced by his .305/.369/.487 lifetime line and Hall of Fame plaque. But that dude took things to another level in October. He hit .337/.397/.627 across 184 postseason plate appearances. This included 10 homers, with three coming in one game against the Yankees. Unfortunately for the Royals, Brett’s 1.056 OPS couldn’t help them avoid getting eliminated in four games. They’d eventually experience October glory in 1985, though.
Adam Kennedy, Anaheim Angels
October 13, 2002, ALCS Game 5 vs. Twins
If Adam Kennedy isn’t the most unlikely guy on this list, he’s at least toward the top. He hit 80 homers across 14 big-league seasons. Kennedy also slugged four postseason homers in 25 games. Since three came in one contest, he went deep just once in his other 24 games played.
The second baseman took home ALCS MVP honors thanks to a .357/.357/1.000 line in 15 plate appearances for the Angels. He appeared in 15 postseason games after this performance and registered just three more extra-base hits (two doubles and one triple).
Adrian Beltre, Texas Rangers
October 4, 2011 ALDS Game 4 vs. Rays
A 2024 Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, Adrian Beltre is a legendary player. But compared to his regular-season offensive production, he struggled in October. Beltre’s career slash line was .286/.339/.480 with 477 homers and 1,707 RBI. In the postseason, those numbers settled in at .261/.297/.450 with five homers and 11 RBI.
He appeared in seven postseason series and finished with at least one homer in two of them. His three-homer performance in the 2011 ALDS helped the Rangers on their run toward the World Series.
Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
October 22, 2011, World Series Game 3 vs. Rangers
Hitting home runs was one of Albert Pujols’ superpowers. He’s fourth on the all-time home run list and his 19 postseason dingers are also among the most in MLB history. At the time of this accomplishment, Pujols was the third player to slug three homers during a World Series game.
Although The Machine hit just .240 in the 2011 Fall Classic, he still finished the seven-game series with a 1.064 OPS thanks to all his extra-base hits. He collected six knocks overall and four of them went for extra bases (three homers and one double).
Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants
October 24, 2012, World Series Game 1 vs. Tigers
Pablo Sandoval going deep three times in Game 1 of the World Series is another surprising performance. But then again, so goes the Giants’ even-year magic. The three-time champ rode that performance to Series MVP honors in 2012. Half of his eight hits went for extra bases (three homers and one double) and he hit .500 across 17 plate appearances.
Sandoval got better with each postseason round, too. He posted a .890 OPS in the NLDS, followed by a .941 mark in the NLCS and a 1.654 mark in the World Series.
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
October 5, 2017, ALDS Game 1 vs. Red Sox
At the time it happened, Jose Altuve’s three-homer performance was probably surprising. But now that he’s about to overtake Manny Ramirez as the all-time postseason home run king, it’s not so surprising anymore.
This ALDS Game 1 performance was an incredible way to start his postseason journey toward a World Series title. He hit .533/.632/1.133 in 19 plate appearances before moving on to the ALCS. Altuve’s second trip to the postseason included seven homers, 14 RBI, and a 1.022 OPS.
Kike Hernandez, Los Angeles Dodgers
October 19, 2017, NLCS Game 5 vs. Cubs
Thanks to spending most of his career with the Dodgers, Kike Hernandez has racked up 13 postseason homers across 202 plate appearances (before the 2024 playoffs). His overall October production has been quite impressive. His .274/.351/.542 triple slash is much better than the .239/.311/.409 mark he produced through 2023.
Hernandez collected just 11 plate appearances during L.A.’s NLCS victory over the Cubs, but those three homers helped him finish with a 1.990 OPS. His production didn’t carry over into the Fall Classic, as he struggled to a .606 OPS in 16 plate appearances.
Chris Taylor, Los Angeles Dodgers
October 21, 2021, NLCS Game 5 vs. Braves
Through the end of 2023, Chris Taylor had slugged nine career postseason homers. So, 33% of them came during this NLCS Game 5 matchup against Atlanta. Had Los Angeles advanced to the World Series, he would’ve had a case for being named NLCS MVP.
Taylor slashed .476/.542/1.048 in 24 plate appearances. He added nine RBI, five runs scored, and three steals. Of the 10 hits he collected, six went for extra bases (three homers and three doubles). The right-handed hitter appeared in five postseason games in 2022 and 2023 since this performance and he hasn’t recorded an extra-base hit.