Paul Goldschmidt, Evan Longoria, & Bryce Harper’s 3-Homer Games – Random HR History for Week of 11/18
Come for the random homers, stay for a fun fact about Elly De La Cruz's ridiculous April.
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 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, 11/18
5/7/2023: Paul Goldschmidt helped power St. Louis to a 12-6 win over the Tigers by enjoying a three-homer performance.
8/26/2006: Carlos Beltran hit his 200th career home run.
9/22/2003: Alfonso Soriano set a new MLB record with his 13th leadoff home run of the season.
Tuesday, 11/19
10/3/2012: Evan Longoria finished off his season with a three-homer performance for the Rays. He slugged a total of 17 dingers in 74 games that year.
6/16/2013: Torii Hunter slugged his 300th career home run while playing his former team, the Minnesota Twins.
3/14/2023: Manny Machado clubbed a 437-foot tank for the Dominican Republic in the WBC.
Wednesday, 11/20
4/2/2024: Bryce Harper shook off a slow start to his season with a three-homer, six-RBI performance for the Phillies.
10/9/2004: Game 3 of the NLDS included a two-homer day for Dodgers slugger Shawn Green.
10/1/2002: Troy Glaus began an epic postseason run for the Angels with a two-homer game in ALDS Game 1.
Thursday, 11/21
6/6/1990: Cecil Fielder hit three homers in a game for the Tigers. He’d finish his year with a league-leading 51 homers and 132 RBI.
7/17/1979: While representing the Red Sox at the midsummer classic, Fred Lynn hit a first-inning home run.
9/13/2013: Chris Davis became the second Orioles hitter to reach the 50-homer plateau.
Friday, 11/22
8/19/1992: Edgar Martinez hit his first career grand slam in the big leagues, and Orioles pitcher Todd Frohwirth got ejected after taking issue with the strike zone.
10/15/2003: The Yankees took an ALCS Game 6 lead in the fifth inning thanks to this Jorge Posada home run.
10/14/1975: Dwight Evans helped send World Series Game 3 into extras with this game-tying homer in the ninth inning.
Saturday, 11/23
8/9/2014: Jose Ramirez hit his first career big-league home run. He’s now second on Cleveland’s all-time list with 255 dingers.
9/30/2015: Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli both hit tanks that traveled 430-plus feet.
7/20/2015: Ian Kinsler’s second home run of the evening gave Detroit an eighth-inning lead.
Sunday, 11/24
4/29/2015: Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez, and Andre Ethier each hit first-inning homers for the Dodgers.
7/15/2017: Khris Davis went oppo taco to walk things off for the Athletics.
9/11/2013: Mark Trumbo didn’t have a problem depositing this R.A. Dickey knuckleball into the seats for the Angels.
Elly De La Cruz’s Ridiculous Start
The start of Elly’s 2024 campaign was easily the best month of his season. He slashed .279/.385/.577 through his first 122 plate appearances. This performance included 14 extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, and eight homers), 19 RBI, 27 runs scored, and 18 steals.
According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, he became the sixth player with at least seven homers and 15 RBI in one calendar month since at least 1901. He joined the following players:
Carlos Beltran: 10 homers, 16 steals in August 2004
Barry Bonds: 7 homers, 15 steals in September 1996
Rickey Henderson: 7 homers, 20 steals in May 1986
Joe Morgan: 8 homers, 15 steals in August 1976
Lou Brock: 7 homers, 15 steals in July 1966
De La Cruz will be entering his age-23 season in 2025. It’ll be fun to see how this kid continues to evolve as a ballplayer.
P.S. It’s time to start thinking about the holidays. I know — crazy. If you’re looking for a fun gift for the baseball fan in your life, check out my book about each team’s single-season home run leaders.
Love me some Elly and Longo talk!