Glenallen Hill’s Broken Bat Dinger & a Pair of Walk-off Grand Slams – Random HR History for Week of 12/23
Come for the random homers, stay to find out what Mike Trout did for the first time in 12 years during the 2024 season.
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, 12/23
8/21/2000: Glenallen Hill showed off his power by slugging a good old fashioned broken-bat home run at Yankee Stadium.
5/17/1990: Eric Anthony visited the upper tank at the Astrodome for this solo home run.
8/22/2023: Willy Adames’ 20th home run of the year gave the Brewers an early lead. How many homers is he hitting for the Giants in 2025?
Tuesday, 12/24
9/29/1998: Greg Vaughn gave the Padres a 2-0 lead in NLDS Game 1 after going deep off Randy Johnson.
6/14/1997: Russ Davis hit a walk-off home run for the Mariners to beat the Dodgers, 9-8. He’d finish the year with a .805 OPS, 20 homers and 63 RBI in 119 games.
6/4/2023: Jake Burger sent the White Sox home happy after hitting a walk-off grand slam in Chicago. How many dingers will he slug for the Rangers in 2025?
Wednesday, 12/25
3/30/2004: Tino Martinez hit the 300th home run of his career. He did it against the Yankees, a team he hit 192 homers for.
9/5/1999: Darryl Hamilton extended the Mets’ lead over the Astros with this grand slam.
3/29/2018: The first pitch of the 2018 regular season ended up in the stands thanks to Ian Happ.
Thursday, 12/26
5/15/2016: Ryan Zimmerman hit his first career inside-the-park home run, but it was accompanied by a scary collision in the outfield between Giancarlo Stanton and Marcell Ozuna.
7/4/1999: Bret Boone enjoyed his Fourth of July in NYC since he slugged two homers against the Mets at Shea Stadium.
4/17/2024: This home run from Ketel Marte was tied for the sixth-lowest dinger of the season with a 17-degree launch angle.
Friday, 12/27
6/7/2023: Elly De La Cruz announced his arrival in the big leagues with a bang by slugging a 458-foot tank for his first career homer.
8/14/2003: Travis Hafner showed all parts of his offensive capabilities by hitting for the cycle.
4/10/2016: Nomar Mazara’s MLB debut included this home run against the Angels. He finished the year with 20 dingers and placed fifth in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting.
Saturday, 12/28
4/5/2013: Kevin Youkilis went deep for the first time as a Yankee, hitting a two-run shot. It will always be weird to see him in this uniform.
4/9/2014: Jason Kubel enjoyed a four-hit day for the Twins, which included a homer. It was the 140th and final dinger of his big-league career.
7/28/2023: Bobby Witt Jr. sent the Royals home happy after slugging this walk-off grand slam.
Sunday, 12/29
7/4/2004: Ty Wigginton’s second home run of the game gave the Mets an eighth-inning lead over the Yankees.
5/31/2023: Anthony Santander gave the Orioles a lead with his ninth home run of the season.
10/19/2003: Hideki Matsui took advantage of having a 3-0 green light and gave the Yankees a lead in World Series Game 2 with this three-run homer.
Mike Trout With the Now-Rare Leadoff Dinger
When Mike Trout first made landfall in the big leagues, his speed on the bases was just as impressive as his offensive abilities in the batter’s box. He posted eight straight years of 11-plus steals between 2012 and 2019. But since 2020, Trout has stolen just 12 bases.
If the right-handed slugger is healthy, he’s an offensive force that has typically been penciled into the second or third spot of the Angels’ order. Between 2020 and 2023, Trout was Los Angeles’ leadoff hitter once (in 2020). Although he played in just 29 games during 2024, manager Ron Washington penciled him into the top spot of his order for six games.
Trout led off the Angels’ game against the Baltimore Orioles on April 23 with a 392-foot home run. It was his first leadoff tater in the big leagues since September 28, 2012.
That Trout guy is always finding ways to do impressive stuff on a baseball field, isn’t he? I’ll just take him staying healthy from start to finish in 2025, though. Baseball is better when he’s on the field and putting up numbers every day.