BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE TRIVIA TEASER
Name the Hall of Famer whose first-ever major league home run was an inside-the-parker – and whose first MLB Grand Slam was the major league’s (to this date) only inside-the-park, walk-off, four-run homer?
BBRT TRIVIA TEASER ANSWER:
Pirates’ OF Roberto Clemente’s first MLB home run came on April 15, 1955 (the 20-year-old’s third MLB game) – off New York Giants’ southpaw Gene Liddle. The fifth-inning four-bagger was a solo, inside-the park home run to left field – and also resulted in Clemente’s first major league run batted in.
On July 25 of the 1956 season, Clemente hit his first MLB Grand Slam – and it was also an inside-the-parker. Clemente was batting against the Cubs’ Jim Brosnan in the bottom of the ninth with the Pirates trailing 8-5. There were no outs and Pittsburgh’s Hank Foiles, Bill Virdon and Dick Cole were on base. Clemente drove a ball to deep left that hit near the light standard and skittered along the warning track to center. All three runners scored and Clemente ran through the coach’s stop sign at third base, beating the relay (Solly Drake to Ernie Banks to Hobie Landrith) – putting an exciting, exclamation-mark finish on the game.
Over his 18-season MLB career, Clemente collected 3,000 hits (.317 average), 240 home runs and 1,305 RBI. He was an All Star in 12 seasons, a 12-time Gold Glover, four-time batting champion and the 1966 NL MVP.
This look at Roberto Clemente’s notable inside-the-park (ITP) round trippers provides a nice segue into a look at some ITP home run trivia. So, let’s do it!
Jesse Burkett
Jesse Burkett holds the record for career ITP home runs with 55. The left-handed hitting outfielder hit 75 total home runs over sixteen MLB seasons (1890-1905), with 55 of those being ITP. Hall of Famer Burkett was a three-time batting champ, who topped .400 twice while with the NL Cleveland Spiders (.405 in 1895 and .410 in 1896). The AL career ITP home run record belongs to Ty Cobb (46), while the NL record goes to Tommy Leach (48).
———————————–
Sam Crawford
Sam Crawford holds the single-season record for inside-the-park home runs, with 12 ITP home runs (of his NL-leading 16 dingers for the Reds) in 1901. Fifty-one of Crawford’s 97 career home runs stayed in the park.
Tom McCreery
Tom McCreery holds the record for most ITP home runs in a game with three – for the NL Louisville Colonels on July 12, 1897. The switch-hitting OF/1B hit a total of five home runs that season. In addition to McCreery, forty-five MLB players have hit two ITP home runs in a game, but only four have accomplished that feat more than once (twice each): Dan Brouthers, Jesse Burkett, Ed Delahanty and Roger Bresnahan.
—————————————-
Roger Bresnahan
Photo by The Library of Congress
Roger Bresnahan is the only player to hit two ITP home runs in a single game in both leagues – May 30, 1902, for the AL Baltimore Orioles and June 6, 1904, for the NL New York Giants. Bresnahan hit a 13 ITP home runs out of 26 dingers in a 17-season (1897-1915) MLB career.
——————————
Greg Gagne
The most recent player to hit two inside-the-park homers in a single game was Minnesota Twins’ shortstop Greg Gagne (October 4, 1986 versus the White Sox). It was one of only three two-homer games in Gagne’s career.
———————————————
Ty Cobb – once led the American League in home runs without every clearing the fences. Photo by The Library of Congress
Ty Cobb
In 1909, the Tigers’ Ty Cobb won the AL Triple Crown with a .377 average, nine home runs and 107 RBI. (He also led the league with 76 steals, 216 hits and 115 runs scored.) All nine of his league-topping home runs were of the inside-the-park variety. That’s significant on two fronts. Nine is still the AL record for ITP home runs in a season and it made Cobb the only MLB player (post-1900) to lead his league in home runs without ever hitting one over the fence.
Toby Harrah and Bump Wills
On August 28, 1977, in the seventh inning of a game against the Yankees in New York, the Rangers’ Toby Harrah and Bump Wills hit back-to-back, inside-the-park home runs off consecutive pitches from Yankees’ reliever Ken Clay. Harrah hit a three-run home run off Clay and then, on the very next pitch, Bump Wills also circled the bases while his hit was in play. The only other instance of teammates hitting back-to-back ITP homers came on June 23, 1946 when the Cubs’ Marv Rickert and Eddie Waitkus accomplished the feat off Nate Andrews of the New York Giants.
Toby Harrah is also knowns for being the only MLB shortstop to play all the innings of a doubleheader without ever getting a fielding chance (June 25, 1976 Wills’ ranger versus the White Sox). Apparently well-rested during his inning in the field, Harrah finished the doubleheader six-for-eight, with two home runs, seven RBI and a stolen base.
———————————————
Ed Delahanty
Ed Delahanty, playing first base for the Philadelphia Colts (Phillies) on July 13, 1896, earned a place in the record books by blasting a record-tying four home runs in a single game. To date, only 18 players have accomplished that feat. Delahanty’s four-homer day is unique in that two of his round trippers were inside-the-parkers. He is the only one of the 18 members of the four-homer club to have ITP homers included in their one-game total. Twenty of Delahanty’s 101 MLB home runs (16-season MLB career) were of the inside-the-park variety.
————————————————-
Luke Stuart and Johnnie LeMaster
Luke Stuart(2B) of the St. Louis Browns and SS Johnie LeMaster of the San Francisco Giants are the only players to hit ITP home runs in their first MLB at bats (August 8, 1921 and September 2, 1975, respectively.)
—————————————
Pete Milne
Pete Milne had a brief MLB career (three seasons, 47 games, 65 plate appearances) with the Giants (1948-50). He hit only one home run in the majors, but it was a significant. It was the only pinch hit, inside-the park Grand Slam ever (April 27, 1949).
______________________________
Ichiro
Ichiro Suzuki hit the only inside-the-park home run in an All Star Game (2007).
—————————————-
Kyle Blanks
Padres’ rookie OF Kyle Banks hit an inside the park home run on August 18, 2009. The ball hit off the top of the centerfield wall and ricocheted along the warning path nearly to the RF corner. What makes this one special? At 6′ 6” and 285-pounds, Blanks became the heaviest player ever to it an ITP homer – beating the throw home with a head-first slide.
Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com
Coming Soon: A comparison of the BBWAA Hall of Fame Vote with BBRT’s Fan Hall of Fame Voting – and announcement of the BBRT balloting prize winner.
BASEBALL ROUNDTABLE ON THE TOP 100 BASEBALL BLOG LIST
Baseball Roundtable is on the Feedspot list of the Top 100 Baseball Blogs. To see the full list, click here.
I tweet baseball @DavidBBRT
Follow/Like Baseball Roundtable’s Facebook Page here. More baseball commentary; blog post notifications; PRIZES.
Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
