Updated: April 22, 2017 (originally published June of 2015)
On this date (April 22) in 2006, the Milwaukee Brewers became the most recent team to bash five home runs in a single inning. It came in the fourth inning of an 11-0 Brewers in over the Cincinatti Reds (in Milwaukee). The hitters were: Bill Hall; Damian Miller; Brady Clark; J.J. Hardy; and Prince Fielder. The Reds’ Brandon Clausen gave up the first four dingers, while reliever Chris Hammond gave up the finallong ball.
CONSISTENCY IS THE HOBGOBLIN …
Only five times in MLB history has a team given up five home runs in a single inning. Four of those occured in the National League and – talk about consistency – ALL FOUR TIMES, the Cincinatti Red were the victims of the power outburst. And, three of the four times, the “handful of homers” against the Reds came in the fourth inning. The long ball barrages were spread out of the Reds’ history (1939, 1949, 1961 and 2005) – and they are detailed later in the post. Note, the Minnesota Twins are the only American League team to hit five home runs in a single inning (1966).
Before we detail each of these homner-happy innings, here are a few tidbits about the five-home frames:
- The Cincinnati Reds have been the victims of four of the five five-homer innings.
- The home team has put on the power display four of the five times.
- Fourteen of the 25 home runs have come with two outs.
- Pitchers have contributed (as hitters) HRs in two of the five five-homer innings.
- Twice the victimized team (Reds both times) has been in first place.
- One of the five-homer innings was kept alive by three fielding errors.
- One of the five-homer innings included two home runs by one player in the inning.
- Two of the five power outbursts included an inside the park home run.
- Three of the five five-homer innings have come in the fourth inning (three of the four against the Reds).
- The five-homer innings have featured the scoring of 43 runs – the fewest at six, the most at 12.
Now, let’s take a closer look at those five-homer innings.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
June 6, 1939 … NY Giants versus Cincinnati Reds
Pitcher Manny Salvo hit an inside-the-park home run in Giants five-homer inning.
The first-ever five-home run MLB inning took place in New York on June 6, 1930, as the sixth-place Giants (20-24 record) surprised the league-leading Reds (29-15) by a 17-3 score, plating all 17 runs in the first five innings.
The record-setting power display came in the bottom of the fourth inning, with the Giants already up 6-0. Peaches Davis, who had relieved Johnny Vander Meer in the first inning (Vander Meer had given up six hits and three runs in 2/3 of an inning), retired Giants’ LF Jo Jo Moore and SS Billy Jurgess to start the inning. Then the wheels came off. C Harry Danning laced a home run to center (his sixth). Clean-up hitter Mel Ott drew a walk, 1B Zeke Bonura singled and CF Frank Demaree hit the second home run of the inning (his second of the season).
Wesley Livengood (whose MLB career would consist of five appearances and a 9.53 ERA) then came on to relieve Davis. Livengood was not living so good, as he walked 3B Tony Lazzeri and then gave up a home run to 2B Burgess Whitehead (the first of only two he would it in 1939). Giants’ pitcher Manny Salvo was up next. A weak hitter, Salvo surprised everyone in the ball park with the only home run of his five-season MLB career – an inside-the-park round tripper off the right field fence. Next up was lead-off hitter Moore, who hit the fifth and final homer of the inning (and his second of the day). Notably, all of this damage took place after the first two batters were retired.
The Inning’s Home Run Hitters: Harry Danning, Frank Demaree, Burgess Whitehead, Manny Salvo, Jo Jo Moore
Runs Scored in the Five-HR Inning: Eight
Final Score: Giants 17 – Reds 3
June 2, 1949… Philadelphia Phillies versus Cincinnati Reds
Andy Seminick hit two round trippers in the Phillies’ five-homer inning.
Ten seasons passed before the next five-homer inning – and the victims were again the Reds. This time, the bashing came off the bats of the Phillies (in Philadelphia). It started out as a close game, with the Reds actually leading 3-2 after seven innings behind a strong performance by starting pitcher Ken Raffensberger (who would win 18 games that season). Things, however, went awry in the bottom of the eighth.
CF Del Ennis (the Phillies’ clean-up hitter) led off the inning with a home run (his 7th of the season), which was followed by C Andy Seminick’s second home run of the game – marking Raffensberger’s exit. Jess Dobernic came on in relief and retired RF Stan Hollmig on a liner to short before giving up a home run to 3B Willie Jones (his third of the year). Dobrenic then induced a soft fly ball out to second base by 2B Eddie Miller, bringing up P Schoolboy Rowe, who had relieved Philadelphia starter Curt Simmons in the top of the eighth. Rowe promptly slammed a home run to left (the only home run of the year for the 39-year-old veteran, in his last MLB season). Kent Petersen came on in relief of Dobernic and seemed to pour gas on the flames: walk to CF Richie Ashburn, double to SS Granny Hamner, 1B Eddie Waitkus safe on an error (Ashburn scores), an Ennis single to right (Hamner scores), and Seminick’s second home run of the inning (third of the game and seventh of the season). That was the end of the home runs, but the inning continued with the Phillies adding another run on a hit batsman and a triple. Suddenly a 3-2 Reds lead was a 12-3 deficit.
The Inning’s Home Run Hitters; Del Ennis, Andy Seminick (2), Willie Jones, Schoolboy Rowe
Runs Scored in Five-HR Inning: 10
Final Score: Phillies 12 – Reds 3
August 23, 1961 … San Francisco Giants versus Cincinnati Reds
Jim Davenport contributed a three-run inside-the-park homer to the Giants record-tying inning.
Twelve seasons after five-home inning number two, it happened again – and for the third straight time, the Reds were the victims – and this time they were are home. On August 23, 1961, another close game became a late inning route. The Reds trailed the San Francisco Giants 2-0 after 8 innings with both starters (Juan Marichal for the Giants and Joey Jay for the Reds) still in the game. A low-scoring game was no surprise. Marichal came into the contest with a 12-7 record for the third-place Giants, while Jay was 18-7 for the first-place Reds.
In the top of the ninth, the Giants broke the tightly contested game wide open. 1B Willie McCovey started the frame with a double off Jay and then scored on an error by Reds’ 2B Don Blasingame after CF Willie Mays popped out, LF Orlando Cepeda and RF Felipe Alou followed with a pair of deep home runs (to center and left, respectively). It was Cepeda’s 36th of the year and Alou’s 15th. That brought Jim Brosnan in from the bullpen – and led to a fly ball out by C John Orsino, singles by SS Jose Pagan and Marichal, 2B Joey Amalfitano reaching on an error by Reds’ third baseman Gene Freese (Pagan scoring) and a three-run inside-the-park home run by 3B Jim Davenport (his 8th homer of the year). McCovey then singled for his second hit of the inning, which brought on Bill Henry in relief. Henry gave up a two-run homer to Mays (his 34th of the season), a single to Cepeda, and had Alou reach on Freese’s second error of the inning (and the Reds’ third miscue of the frame). Orsino then took Henry deep (just his second of the year) before Pagan struck out to mercifully end the 12-run, ninth-inning uprising.
The Inning’s Home Run Hitters: Orlando Cepeda, Felipe Alou, Jim Davenport, Willie Mays, John Orsino
Runs scored in the Five-Homer Inning: 12
Final Score: Giants 14 – Reds 0
April 22, 2006 … Milwaukee Brewers versus Cincinnati Reds
Prince Fielder put the “cherry on top” (old
school analogy) for the Brewers.
Home cookin’ – with a five homer dessert – was good to the Brewers when they hosted the Reds on April 22, 2006. Milwaukee pounded the visitors 11-0, racking up the fourth five-homer inning against the Reds’ franchise along the way. The outburst came in the bottom of the fourth inning with starter Brandon Claussen still on the mound and the Reds trailing 3-0.
Milwaukee 3B Bill Hall (the number-six hitter) started it with a home run (his third of the young season). Then 2B Richie Weeks singled to left, scoring on C Damian Miller’s home run (his 1st of the year). That seemed to establish a (brief) HR-1B-HR pattern, as Brewers’ pitcher Dave Bush followed the Miller home run with a single and CF Brady Clark backed up the Bush single with his first home run of 2006. SS J.J. Hardy broke the pattern with a home run (his 3rd of the year). At this point, Claussen had faced six batters in the inning, giving up four home runs and two singles. Chris Hammond came on in relief and provided just that, striking out the first two batters he faced (RF Geoff Jenkins and LF Carlos Lee). Then Prince Fielder gave the Brewers a piece of the five-homer in one inning record, hitting his third dinger of the year. The carnage ended on a fly out to center by Hall.
The Inning;s Home Run Hitters: Bill Hall, Damian Miller, Brady Clark, J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder
Final Score: Brewers 11 – Reds 0
Runs Scored in the Five-Homer Inning: 7
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
June 9, 1966 … Minnesota Twins versus Kansas City Athletics
Harmon Killibrew hit more home runs in the 1960s than any other player – powering the Twins to some big innings (including their 1966 five-homer stanza).
Only once has an American League team hit five homers in a single inning – but chances have improved with interleague play (AL teams do now get to face the Reds). The team that flashed all that power was the Minnesota Twins, but the day (June 9, 1966 against Kansas City) didn’t start out all that well.
With the two teams facing off at Metropolitan Stadium (Bloomington, MN), the Athletics got off to a fast start, knocking out Twins’ ace Camilo Pascual in the top of the first. (Pascual lasted 2/3 of an inning, giving up four runs on three hits and a walk.) With Catfish Hunter on the mound, the Twins’ chances looked slim.
The Twins scored one in the fifth and two in the sixth (on a Harmon Killebrew home run) and then, trailing 4-3, broke the game open with five home runs in the seventh.It started innocently enough with a Catfish Hunter walk to C Early Battey, followed by an infield fly out for 2B Bernie Allen. That brought pinch hitter (for the pitcher) Rich Rollins to the plate, and he hit the inning’s first homer (just the second of ten HRs Rollins would hit in 1966). Lead-off hitter SS Zoilo Versalles followed with his fifth homer of the year – and Paul Lindblad replaced Hunter on the mound. Lindblad got Twins’ LF Sandy Valdespino on a grounder to short, but then gave up consecutive round trippers to RF Tony Oliva (his 14th) and 1B Don Mincher (his 6th). John Wyatt came in from the bullpen and quickly gave up a home run to 3B Harmon Killebrew (his second of the day and 11th of the year). Wyatt then surrendered a double to RF Jimmie Hall and Battey (in his second plate appearance of the inning) reached on an error before Bernie Allen ended the frame on a ground ball (catcher to first).
The Inning’s HR Hitters: Rich Rollins, Zoilo Versallers, Tony Oliva, Don Mincher, Harmon Killebrew
Runs Scored in the Five-Homer Inning: Six
Final Score: Twins 9 – Athletics 4
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