There are few perfect shapes … and this is one of them.
On Friday August 3, Justin and B.J. Upton became only the sixth pair of brothers in major league history to each achieve 100 home runs. Justin reached the century mark with a solo shot in the second inning of Arizona’s 4-2 win at Philadelphia (his ninth round-tripper of the season). B.J.’s 100th was also a solo homer, in the fourth inning of Tampa Bay’s 2-0 home victory over Baltimore. Notably, it was the only time in MB history when two brothers hit a “milestone” home run on the same day. And, in fact, on July 20th the Upton brothers each hit their 99th home run – Justin’s a two-run shot in the third inning of an Arizona 13-8 home win over Houston and B.J. with a solo homer in the sixth inning of a 4-3 win over Seattle. Overall, the Upton’s have homered on the same day 13 times in their major league careers.
Other pairs of siblings who have reached the 100 homer mark include: Joe and Vince DiMaggio (361 and 125 homers, respectively); Roberto (210) and Sandy (112) Alomar, Jr.; Ken (282) and Clete (162) Boyer; Brett (252) and Aaron (126) Boone; and Bob (156) and Emil “Irish” (106) Meusel.
The Uptons – at 200 combined home runs – have a ways to go to catch the sibling leaders: Hank (755) and Tommie (13) Aaron at 768.
BBRT would like to use the Upton’s feat to comment on my picks for MLB’s best brother combinations ever.
1. Paul and Lloyd Waner
This pair of outfielders spent 14 years of their careers as teammates on the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1927, the 21-year-old Lloyd averaged .355, with 223 hits and a league-leading 133 runs scored – only to be outdistanced by his 24-year-old brother Paul, who lead the league in batting average (.380), hits (237) and RBI (131).
In a 20-year career, Paul made the all-star team 4 times (the first all-star game came seven years after Paul made the major leagues), won three batting titles, lead the league in runs twice, hits twice, and RBI once. His career line: .333 average, 3,157 hits, 113 homers, 1,309 RBI and 1,627 runs.
In his 18-year major league run, Lloyd was a one-time all-star, led the league in hits once and runs once. His final line: .316 average, 2,459 hits, 27 homers, 598 RBI and 1,201 runs.
Both Paul and Lloyd are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. (Paul elected in 1952, Lloyd by the Veterans Committee in 1967.)
2. Gaylord and Jim Perry
These two pitching brothers – who combined for 529 victories, three Cy Young Awards and eight all-star selections – finish a close second to the Waners on the BBRT brothers list. Consider 1970, when Gaylord led the NL in wins for the Giants, going 23-13 with a 3.20 ERA, while Jim led the AL in wins for the Twins, with a 24-12 record and a 3.04 ERA.
Gaylord, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1991, finished his career at 314-265, 3.11 – with two Cy Young Awards, and five all-star selections. He was a five-time 20-game winner and topped the NL in wins three times.
Jim notched a 215-174 record, a 3.45 ERA, three all-star selections and one Cy Young Award. He led the AL in victories twice.
3. Joe, Dom and Vince DiMaggio
Very close race for the third spot, but the DiMaggio’s get the edge since Joe and Dom lost three prime seasons each to World War II (deflating their career numbers). Let’s look at these brother outfielders in order of prominence.
Joe – 13 major league seasons and 13 all-star selections (kinda tells the story). The Yankee Clipper also won three Most Valuable Player Awards, two batting titles, one home run title and led the AL in RBI twice. Joe ended up with a career .325 average, 2,214 hits, 361 home runs, 1,537 RBI and 1,390 runs.
Dom – played in the outfield for the Yankees’ top rival Boston Red Sox (and in the shadow of Brother Joe). Dom held up his end of the brother tandem, with seven all-star selections in 11 big league seasons. He twice led the league in runs scored, once in stolen bases. Finished with a .298 average, 1,680 hits, 87 homers, 618 RBI, 1,046 runs.
Vince – the least stellar of the DiMaggio brothers, like Dom, Vince played for the Red Sox. Only a .249 career hitter, Vince was known for his defensive excellence in the outfield. He was a two-time all-star and finished with a .249 average, 125 homers, 584 RBI and 491 runs.
4. Joe and Phil Niekro
These pitching brothers won 539 games in a combined 46 major league seasons. In 1970, Joe and Phil tied for the NL lead in wins – Joe going 21-11 with a 3.00 ERA for the Astros and Phil going 21-20 (he also led the league in losses) with a 3.39 ERA for the Braves.
In a 24-year ML career, Phil won 318 games, while losing 274, with a 3.78 ERA. He was a five-time all-star, two-time 20-game winner, led his league in ERA once and won five Gold Glove Awards. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1997, Phil also led the NL in games started, complete games, innings pitched and games lost four times each. In 1982, at age 43, he led the NL in winning percentage with a 17-4 (.810) record.
Joe finished his 22-year ML career with a 221-204 record and a 3.59 ERA. He was a one-time all-star and two-time twenty-game winner.
5. Sandy, Jr. and Roberto Alomar – Pedro and Ramon Martinez (tie)
The fifth and final spot on BBRT’s list of the major league’s best brother combinations proved the hardest to determine. The candidates were: Felipe, Matty and Jesus Alou; Dizzy and Daffy Dean; Pedro and Ramon Martinez; and Sandy, Jr. and Roberto Alomar. A good case could be made for all four sets of brothers. Here’s the evidence in support of Roberto and Sandy, Jr. Alomar and Pedro and Ramon Martinez – who tied for this final sport.
The Alomar Brothers
In Roberto’s 17-year career at second base, he earned 12 all-star selections, led the league in runs scored once, and captured ten gold Gloves. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2011, Roberto put up solid numbers to earn this spot: a .300 average; 2,724 hits; 210 home runs; 1,134 RBI; 1,508 runs; and 474 stolen bases.
Sandy Jr. enjoyed a 20-year ML career at the tough catcher position. While his numbers were not as flashy as Roberto’s, Sandy was a Rookie of the Year, a six-time all-star and one-time Gold Glover. His final numbers – .273 average; 1,236 hits; 112 home runs; 588 RBI; and 520 runs scored.
The Martinez Brothers
Pedro, the younger of the brothers, provides the sparkle in this pairing of hurlers, who won a combined 354 games and both had a career winning percentages north of .600. Pedro notched 219 wins versus only 100 losses (.687 pct.) with a career 2.93 ERA. The younger Martinez was an 8-time all-star, won three Cy Young Awards, was a two-time 20-game winner and lead his league in ERA five times, winning percentage three times, strikeouts three times and wins once. In 1999, with Boston, he went 23-4 with a 2.07 ERA and 313 strikeouts.
Ramon had a 14-year ML career in which he went 135-88 (.605 winning percentage) with a 3.67 ERA. He was a one-time all-star and one-time 20-game winner. His best year was 1990, when he went 20-6, 2.92 for the Dodgers, with a league-leading 12 complete games – finishing second in the Cy Young voting to the Pirates’ Doug Drabek (22-6, 2.76).
All BBRT can say about all these siblings is “Oh brother, could they play the game.” Drop in a comment, if you have additional brother combinations that you’d put up for consideration in the top five.
