Todd Frazier’s Lead-Off Moonshot & Matt Davidson’s 3-Homer Day – Random(ish) HR History for Week of 3/24
Come for the random(ish) homers, stay for an observation on Jose Canseco's base stealing.
The Tokyo Series is in the books, and the Dodgers are baseball’s best team, while the Cubs are baseball’s worst (for now, at least). Thankfully, we’re getting Opening Day stateside this week!
Now that we’re at the end of March, I’m going to start transitioning from random homers back to “on this date in home run history.” That transition starts this week. 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, 3/24
7/20/2006: Vernon Wells went deep off Mariano Rivera to give the Blue Jays a walk-off victory over the Yankees.
10/15/2013: Mike Napoli broke a scoreless tie in the seventh inning of ALCS Game 3 in Detroit with this solo home run.
7/6/1991: Danny Tartabull had a memorable day at the office by hitting three homers for the Royals in a game against the A’s.
Tuesday, 3/25
7/13/1965: Joe Torre extended the NL All-Stars’ first-inning lead with this two-run homer in the All-Star Game.
7/2/2006: Justin Morneau hit a missile out to right field for the Twins at the Metrodome. He finished the year with 34 homers, 130 RBI, and the AL MVP Award.
4/20/1992: Mickey Tettleton became the first player to slug a baseball that eventually landed on Eutaw Street at Camden Yards.
Wednesday, 3/26
7/15/2008: J.D. Drew’s two-run homer tied things up at two during the seventh inning of the All-Star Game at Old Yankee Stadium.
5/18/1968: Frank Howard slugged his 17th home run of the season. It was also his 13th homer during the month of May. He’d finish the year with a league-leading 44 dingers.
4/2/2016: Khris Davis got the A’s on the board against San Francisco with this solo homer. He’d finish the year with 42 homers and 102 RBI, his first of three straight 40-100 seasons.
Thursday, 3/27
5/9/2014: Todd Frazier’s leadoff home run for the Reds was an absolute tank, traveling an estimated 485 feet.
4/21/2014: Shin-Soo Choo’s leadoff homer gave the Rangers an early lead in Oakland. It was his second homer of the season.
7/16/2005: Mike Sweeney tied things up in the fifth inning for the Royals with this solo home run.
Friday, 3/28
3/28/2019: Derek Dietrich gave the Reds a late lead on Opening Day with a pinch-hit three-run homer.
3/28/2024: Mike Trout led off the Angels’ season with a solo homer off Corbin Burnes in Baltimore.
3/28/2024: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s first home run of the season was a 450-foot moonshot for the Blue Jays.
Saturday, 3/29
3/29/2018: Matt Davidson got his season off to a powerful start by becoming the fourth player to enjoy a three-homer game on Opening Day.
3/29/2018: The first pitch of the 2018 regular season ended up in the stands thanks to Ian Happ.
3/29/2018: After seven scoreless innings from Dylan Bundy, the Orioles and Twins were tied at 2 in the 11th inning until Adam Jones ended things with a walk-off homer.
Sunday, 3/30
3/30/2019: Christian Yelich went deep for the third straight game to start his year. He’d add another one the next day to make it four straight. Yelich finished the campaign with a career-high 44 homers to go along with 97 RBI.
3/30/2004: While playing for Tampa Bay in Japan, Tino Martinez hit his 300th big league home run. He finished his career with 339 total dingers.
3/30/2019: Bryce Harper’s first home run as a member of the Phillies was an absolute tank. He’s hit a few more since then, too.
The Founding Member of the 40-40 Club Wasn’t a Prolific Base Stealer
Jose Canseco is mostly known for hitting home runs, using steroids during his playing career, and saying ridiculous things on social media. But I love the fact that he’s the founding member of MLB’s 40-40 club.
His 42-homer, 40-steal performance during a 1988 AL MVP campaign was the first time a player surpassed both benchmarks in a single season. It was also the first time he ever stole more than 20 bags in a season.
Despite playing in 17 big-league seasons, Canseco stole 20-plus bags in a year just three times (40 in ’88, 26 in ’91, and 29 in ’98).
Single-Season HR Performances | Career HR Performances | Postseason HR Leaders | HR Derby Performances
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