Baseball Roundtable likes a good coincidence. Like Nate Colbert – one of only two major leaguers to hit five home runs in a doubleheader – being in the ballpark (as an eight-year-old) when Stan Musial became the first player to go yard five times a doubleheader. When I was putting together a “Kwiz” for an upcoming Ballpark Tours trip, I came across another baseball coincidence (coincidences) that intrigued me.
From 1951-2023, there have been just two games in which a player hit two inside-the-park home runs. Coincidentally:
- Both occurred in the Metrodome;
- Both involved the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox;
- Both were started on the mound by the Twins’ Bert Blyleven.
Okay, that Metrodome locale was not that much of a coincidence. The domed stadium was known for its high-bounce turf and difficult Teflon roof. So, I’ll the one goes two-for-three on the coincidence meter.
Photo: Gagne Park Press Inc., Public domain, via Wikimedia Comm
On October 4, 1986, Twins’ SS Greg Gagne hit two inside-the-park home runs in his first two at bats in a 7-3 win over the White Sox. The first was “lost” in the Teflon roof by CF Daryl Boston, the second bounced over the head of a charging Boston. (Gagne, by the way, hit a triple in his third at bat). Gagne is the most recent player with a two inside-the-park home run game. Bert Blyleven started for the Twins and recorded a complete-game victory.
The second-most recent double inside-the-parker game belongs to White Sox’ 1B Dick Allen, who – on July 31, 1972 – hit a pair of inside-the-parkers as the White Sox topped the Twins 8-1 in the Metrodome. Blyleven started for the Twins and took the loss. The most recent National League player to hit two inside-the-park homers in one game was Hank Thompson, Giants – August 16, 1950.
Side note: Statistics on inside-the-park homers have not always been meticulously tracked. The remainder of this column is based on the most accurate/confirmable stats available.
As usual, when Baseball Roundtable look into a topic “one thing always seems to lead to another.” Here are a few other few other inside-the-park homer facts:
- Ricky Henderson and Boog Powell have the same number of careers inside-the-park homers (one each).
- In 1909, Ty Cobb earned his only AL home run title with nine round trippers. They were fast trips. All nine of his homers were inside-the-parkers. Cobb’s nine inside-the-park homers are the AL single-season record for ITP round trippers.
- The 1945 Washington Senators (who finished 87-67 – second place) hit just one home run in their home park and it was an inside-the-parker by 1B Joe Kuhel (in a 3-2 Senators’ win on September 7). Side note: The spacious field dimensions of old Griffith Stadium – it was 407-feet to LF- earned it a reputation as a home run graveyard.)
Jesse Burkett. Photo; Charles M. Conlon
Jesse Burkett holds the record for career inside-the-park (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).
- Tom McCreery holds the record for most ITP home runs in a game with three – for the NL Louisville Colonels on July 12, 1897. McCreery hit a total of five home runs that season.
- 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.
- 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. Two of Delahanty’s round trippers were inside-the-parkers. He is the only members of the four-homer club to have ITP homers included in their one-game total.
- Luke Stuart of the St. Louis Browns and Johnny LeMaster of the San Francisco Giants are the only two players to hit ITP home runs in their first MLB at bats (August 8, 1921 and September 2, 1975, respectively.)
Never Mind Coach, I Got This
Photo: Public Domain via Wiki Commons
There have been plenty of inside-the-park walk-off (run-off?) home runs, and plenty of inside-the park Grand Slams, but there has been only one inside-the-park walk-off Grand Slam – and that belongs to Roberto Clemente – and it was his first MLB Grand Slam.
It came on July 25, 1956, with the Pirates’ Clemente batting against the Cubs’ Jim Brosnan in the bottom of the ninth and 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 rolled 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.
- 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).
- 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.
- Speedster Ichiro Suzuki – in 2007 – hit the first (still only) All Star Game inside-the-park home run. Why do I mention that here? None of Ichiro’s 117 regular-season homers were inside-the-parkers.
- On August 27, 1977, the Texas Rangers’ 3B Toby Harrah and 2B Bump Wills hit back-to-back inside-the-park home runs off consecutive pitches from the Yankees’ Ken Clay. This is one of only two confirmed instances of back-to-back inside-the-parkers in MLB history.
Primary Resources: Baseball-reference.com; Baseball-almanac.com; Inside the Park Home Runs, Society for American Baseball Research, by Mil Chipp.
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