On this day 65 years ago – May 2, 1954 – Stan “The Man” Musial had one of the greatest days at the plate in major league history. That day, the New York Giants faced Musial’s Cardinals in a double header before 26,662 fans at Busch Stadium (I).
And, on that day, Musial became the first player to pole five home runs in a doubleheader – or, if you prefer, five home runs in a single day of the MLB schedule.
As the Cardinals won Game One 10-6, Musial was brilliant, recording four hits and a walk in five plate appearances – including a solo home run in the third inning, a two-run homer in the fifth and a three-run blast in the eighth. It was the first time Musial had hit three round trippers in a single game. He ended with contest with three runs scored and six RBI.
Musial faced knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm in Game Two. If Stan was going to continue his long-ball heroics, he would have to provide his own power – and he did.
In Game Two, Musial collected two hits and a walk in five plate appearances – including a two-run homer in the fifth inning and a solo shot in the seventh, scoring three runs and driving in three in a 9-7 Cardinals loss.
So, for the doubleheader, Stan Musial was six-for-eight, with two walks, six runs scored, nine RBI and five home runs.
BACK TO THOSE 26,662 FANS – AND OUR COINCIDENCE
Among the fans witnessing Musial’s 1954 feat was eight-year-old Nate Colbert – who, on August 1, 1972, would become the second player in MLB history (and there are still only two) to hit five round trippers in a double header.
Colbert, whose San Diego Padres were facing the Atlanta Braves in a double header before a meager crowd of 5,784 (in Atlanta), got his day off to a quick start. The Padres’ clean-up hitter hit a three-run homer in the top of the first inning. Colbert went on to add a run-scoring single in the third, another single in the fourth, and a solo homer in the seventh before striking out to open the ninth. For the game, won by the Padres 9-0, Colbert was four-for-five, three runs scored, five RBI and two home runs.
Game two started out quietly enough, with Colbert drawing a first-inning walk. Things heated up fast, as Colbert added a grand slam in the second, a ground out to third base in the fourth, a two-run homer in the seventh and a day-topping two-run round tripper with two out in the ninth. In the process, he went three-for-four with three runs scored and eight RBI – becoming only the second player with five home runs in a double header. (The Padres, by the way, won game two 11-7.)
For the double header, Colbert was seven-for-nine, with a walk, seven runs scored, 13 RBI and five home runs. Stan Musial, however, was not in the stands.
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