Hank Aaron Passes the Babe & Carlos Zambrano Helps Himself – OTD in HR History For Week of 4/7
Stay for a stroll down this week in home run history, stay to find out which month was Mike Piazza's favorite.
MLB’s regular season is back! And now that games count again, my weekly home run videos are shifting from being random to looking at what happened on each specific day in home run history.
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, 4/7
4/7/2000: Richard Hidalgo christened the Astros’ new ballpark with this home run. He’d go on to have a career year, collecting 44 homers and 122 RBI.
4/7/2012: Prince Fielder enjoyed a two-homer day during a Tigers blowout win at Comerica. This ball probably had an exit velocity somewhere around 200 mph.
4/7/2006: Mike Jacobs hit an absolute moonshot off Steve Trachsel while facing his former team.
Tuesday, 4/8
4/8/1974: Hank Aaron went yard for the 715th time in his MLB career. As is most things in life, the moment is even better with Vin Scully on the call.
4/8/1986: Will Clark slugged his first homer in his first big-league at-bat, which just so happened to be against eventual Hall of Famer, Nolan Ryan.
4/8/2003: Hideki Matsui made his first game at Yankee Stadium extra memorable by hitting this grand slam against the Twins.
Wednesday, 4/9
4/9/1985: In his first game at Shea Stadium with the Mets, Gary Carter sent everyone home happy by slugging this walk-off home run.
4/9/1993: In his first at-bat back following hip replacement surgery, Bo Jackson went deep for the White Sox because, well, of course he did. Would you have expected anything else?
4/9/2000: Ken Griffey Jr. slugged his first of 210 homers as a member of the Reds. The 2000 season was also his first and only 40-homer campaign in Cincy.
Thursday, 4/10
4/10/2003: Mark Teixeira slugged the first home run of his MLB career. The switch-hitting first baseman would end up with 409 dingers across his 14 years as a player.
4/10/2010: Brad Hawpe enjoyed a two-homer night for the Rockies against the Padres at Coors Field.
4/10/1998: Steve Finley sent the Padres home with a walk-off win after slugging this grand slam against the DBacks.
Friday, 4/11
4/11/2006: Derek Jeter gave the Yankees a late lead thanks to this three-run homer.
4/11/2014: Grady Sizemore slugged this three-run homer for the Red Sox while visiting the Yankees in the Bronx.
4/11/2003: Playing in his native Puerto Rico, Jose Vidro extended the Expos’ lead with an eighth-inning two-run homer.
Saturday, 4/12
4/12/2004: Barry Bonds tied Willie Mays for third on the all-time home run list with his 660th home run.
4/12/2004: Bobby Abreu broke in the brand-new Citizens Bank Park by slugging the first Phillies home run.
4/12/2014: Brian McCann hit this solo home run, which was his first of 69 dingers with the Yankees.
Sunday, 4/13
4/13/2007: Carlos Zambrano chipped in on offense for the Cubs by slugging this home run at Wrigley Field.
4/13/1999: Pudge Rodriguez had a huge day at the dish for the Rangers, collecting a club record nine RBI vs. the Mariners.
4/13/2009: Jermaine Dye slugged the 300th home run of his MLB career. He hung up his spikes at the end of this season with 325 total dingers.
Mike Piazza’s Favorite Month Is Very Clear To See
Mike Piazza hit at least 61 homers in each month of the regular season during his Hall of Fame career. His favorite month of all, though, was June. Here’s a quick rundown of his OPS and homer totals:
March/April: 61 homers, .897 OPS
May: 69 homers, .939 OPS
June: 85 homers, .975 OPS
July: 64 homers, .921 OPS
August: 74 homers, .909 OPS
Sept//Oct.: 74 homers, .888 OPS
Single-Season HR Performances | Career HR Performances | Postseason HR Leaders | HR Derby Performances
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