Andrés Galarraga’s Unique Three-Homer Day & Asdrúbal Cabrera’s Bat Flip – Random HR History for Week of 12/30
Come for the random homers, stay for a cool stat about the 200-homer club.
Just because it’s the offseason doesn’t mean I still don’t share home run videos every day. Instead of discussing “on this date in home run history,” you now get a chance to see which random players/moments I’ve been thinking about recently.
And since you’re on this email list, you get a sneak peek of what I’m sharing for the upcoming week before everyone else does. Enjoy!
Monday, 12/30
10/2/1984: Rick Sutcliffe did a little bit of everything for the Cubs in NLCS Game 1. He tossed seven shutout innings and slugged a dinger at the plate. Always loved it when pitchers raked in the postseason.
10/1/1996: A Bobby Bonilla grand slam gave the Orioles an ALDS Game 1 lead over Cleveland.
5/3/2023: Vladimir Guerrero cranked a 450-foot moonshot over the Green Monster.
Tuesday, 12/31
10/11/2017: Didi Gregorius helped power the Yankees to an ALDS Game 5 win with a pair of home runs.
10/24/2011: Adrián Beltré provided one of his iconic swings by dropping to one knee and slugging this homer during World Series Game 5.
8/31/2023: Mookie Betts slugged his 250th career home run and finished his campaign with a career-high 39 dingers in 2023.
Wednesday, 1/1
4/23/2006: On his way to a 58-homer performance that resulted in an NL MVP Award, Ryan Howard enjoyed a two-homer day for the Phillies.
4/1/2001: Tony Batista launched a rainmaker in Puerto Rico to give the Blue Jays a fourth-inning lead.
4/26/2018: Ronald Acuña Jr.’s first career MLB home run was an absolute tank at Great American Ball Park.
Thursday, 1/2
5/12/2017: Joey Gallo’s walk-off three-run homer for the Rangers also nailed the foul pole.
10/21/1997: Gary Sheffield gave the Marlins an early World Series Game 3 lead with this first-inning tater.
6/24/2017: Matt Olson’s first MLB home run was part of a two-homer, four-RBI performance in Chicago against the White Sox.
Friday, 1/3
6/25/1995: Andrés Galarraga became the fourth MLB player to hit a homer in three consecutive innings. He went deep in the sixth, seventh and eighth for the Rockies.
6/19/2004: Hideki Matsui took Hideo Nomo deep for a three-run homer. Matsui finished his second big-league season with 31 homers, 108 RBI and a .912 OPS.
8/4/2016: Carlos Santana reached the street with this three-run homer for Cleveland. He finished his year with a career-high 34 homers.
Saturday, 1/4
9/22/2016: Asdrúbal Cabrera capped a wild win for the Mets with a walk-off home run and an epic bat flip.
10/6/2015: Colby Rasmus got the scoring started for the Astros in the AL Wild Card Game with a solo home run.
9/12/2016: Brian Dozier joined Harmon Killebrew as the second Twins player to reach the 40-homer plateau.
Sunday, 1/5
4/8/2004: Sammy Sosa’s first homer of the year was also the 540th tater of his big-league career. He finished his final season in Chicago with 35 dingers.
8/21/1987: Dale Murphy slugged the 300th homer of his MLB career. He went on to finish the ’87 season with a career-high 44 dingers for the Braves.
8/1/2009: Mark Reynolds hit a home run to a part of Citi Field where baseballs don’t land very often.
Fastest Players to Join the 200-Homer Club
New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso reached the 200-homer plateau on April 27, 2024. He accomplished the feat in 710 games played, the fourth fewest in MLB history.
According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, here are the top seven players who needed the fewest games to hit 200 homers in the big leagues:
Ryan Howard: 658 games
Aaron Judge: 671
Ralph Kiner: 706
Pete Alonso: 710
Juan Gonzalez: 766
Albert Belle: 769
Harmon Killebrew: 769