Charlie Sweeney” Public Domain via WikiCommons
On this date (June 12) in 1886, the National League St. Louis Maroons’ righty Charlie Sweeney set an all-time MLB record by giving up seven home runs in a single game. Sweeney gave up 21 hits (including the seven dingers) in a 14-7 loss to the Detroit Wolverines. Why do I note that “accomplishment” here? Because, just yesterday, Cubs’ 28-year-old rookie right-hander Matt Swarmer tied the modern (post-1900) MLB record by giving up six homers in an 8-0 loss to the Yankees in New York. More on that in a paragraph or two, but first let’s look at Sweeney. Notably, that season, Sweeney gave up just two more long balls in his other 10 starts (all complete games). On the season, he was 5-6, 4.16.
Sweeney pitched in the major leagues (National League, Union Association and American Association) from 1883-1887 and, in 1884, went a combined 41-15, 1.70 for the NL Providence Grays and Union Association Saint Louis Maroons. That season, he pitched 492 innings (53 complete games) and fanned 337 batters. It was the 21-year-old’s second major league season – he had gone 7-7, 3.13 in 20 games for Providence in 1883 – and there is evidence the heavy 1884 workload took a toll on Sweeney’s arm. (In his final three MLB seasons, Sweeney was 16-30, 4.24 and fanned just 120 in 392 frames). Sweeney is also reported to have had issues with adult beverage consumption and a hot temper. (In later life, he had several brushes with the law triggered by violent confrontations.) Notably, over his career, he surrendered just 24 home runs in 1,030 2/3 innings.
Now back to Swarmer. His six-homer game came in his third MLB start. He was 1-1, 1.50 going into the game, and had surrendered three long balls in 12 innings. In the June 11 contest he gave up a:
- solo homer to Yankee DH Aaron Judge on his second pitch of the game (Judge led off the bottom of the first);
- solo home run to RF Giancarlo Stanton with one out in the fourth;
- solo homer to 2B Gleyber Torres on the very next pitch;
- solo shot to C Jose Trevino leading off the fifth;
- solo long ball to Judge with one out in the fifth; and
- solo shot to 1B Anthony Rizzo with two out in the fifth.
Swarmer pitched five innings and gave up six runs on seven hits, walking none and fanning four. He became just the tenth pitcher since 1900 to give up six homers in a game and just the second to give up six solo shots in a single game.
Let’s briefly look at the rest of the list of six-homer pitching appearances. As you skim through these you may note that of the ten six-homer games in the modern era:
- Only one pitcher became a six-homer victim in relief;
- Three “victims” actually recorded victories in their games;
- All the pitchers on the list are right-handers;
- There are two complete games on the list;
- One pitcher gave up six home runs in his only MLB start;
- The shortest six-homer outing (tied) was 2 1/3 innings;
- In three of the games, the opposing pitcher launched one of the long balls.
Larry Benton, RHP, Giants … May 12, 1930
The 34-year-old righty Benton was in his eighth MLB season, when he started against the Cubs (in Chicago) and gave up nine hits, seven runs (six home runs) in a 6 2/3- inning stint. Notably, Benton, got the win despite giving up the six long balls. He took a 14-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth when he gave up a two-out solo home run to Cubs’ RF Cliff Heathcote. In the sixth, Benton surrendered three-run shot to 2B Clyde Beck. In the seventh, he gave up solo home runs to Heathcote; CF Hack Wilson and 1B Charlie Grimm, as well as a three-run blast to Beck (ending Benton’s day after 6 2/3 frames). Benton finished the season at 8-15, 5.50. For his 13 season MLB career, he was 128-128, 4.03 and gave up 0.4 home runs per nine innings. For the Giants in 1926, he went 25-6, 2.73 – leading the league in wins and complete games (28 in 36 starts).
Hollis “Sloppy” Thurston, RHP, Dodgers … August 13, 1932
The 33-year-old Thurston was in the eighth of nine MLB season when he gave up six homers to the Giants in an 18-9 Dodgers’ road win. Despite the long balls, Thurston pitched a complete game – giving up eight earned runs on nine hits. (The Dodgers collected 24 hits and three home runs of their own.)
Thurston gave up consecutive, one-out, solo home runs to 1B Bill Terry, RF Mel Ott and CF Freddie Lindstrom in the fourth; a solo shot to Terry in the fifth; and solo shots to Terry and Ott with two outs in the ninth.
Thurston went 12-8, 4.06 on the season and 89-86, 4.24 in nine MLB campaigns. Over his career, he gave up 0.5 home runs per nine innings. In 1925, with the White Sox, he went 20-14, 3.80 and led the AL in complete games (28) and innings pitched 330.
Tommy Thomas, RHP, Browns … June 27, 1936
Wow! Another six-homer complete game. Thomas went the distance for the Browns in a 10-6 loss to the Yankees (16 hits, six walks, two whiffs) in St. Louis. (The Browns did lead 4-1 after four innings). The home runs included: a solo shot by Yankee P Red Ruffing leading off the third; a solo shot by SS Frankie Crosetti leading off the fifth and a three-run home later in the inning by LF George Selkirk; solo home runs by RF Joe DiMaggio and 1B Lou Gehrig (the first two batters) in the seventh; a three-run dinger by Crosetti in the ninth.
Thomas went 11-9, 5.26 in 1936 and 117-128, 4.11 in 12 MLB seasons (1926-37). He gave up 0.6 HR per nine innings over his career. His best season was 1927, when he went 19-16, 2.98 for the White Sox, leading the AL in 307 2/3 innings pitched.
Bill Kerksieck, RHP, Phillies … August 13, 1939
Kerksieck did not last long the big leagues, just one season, with an 0-2 record and a 7.18 ERA in 23 games (two starts). In his first-ever start, he lasted four innings (Phillies versus Giants in New York) and left after giving up seven runs on seven hits (six home runs among them) and four walks. He took the loss as the Phillies fell 11-2. Kerksieck gave up a solo homer to CF Frank Demaree with two outs in the first; a two-run shot to Demaree in the third; and solo shots to 1B Zeke Bonura, 2B Alex Kampouris, P Bill Lohrman and LF Jo-Jo Moore in the fourth (the last three consecutively).
Unique among these six-homer hurlers is the fact that Kerksieck pitched in a second game that day (the Phillies and Giants were playing a twin bill), relieving in the doubleheader’s second game and pitching one scoreless inning as the Phillies lost 6-2.
Kerksieck’s final career line was 0-2, 7.18 in 23 appearances (giving up 1.9 home runs per nine innings). He did pitch one complete game – a 6-1 loss to the Cubs on September 15, 1939 in which he gave up 14 hits in eight innings.
George Caster, RHP, Athletics … September 24, 1940
Caster’s six-homer game came in a season (1940) when he led the AL with 19 losses (four wins and a 6.56 ERA). Caster has the distinction of tying for the fewest innings pitched while giving up six homers in a game – 2 1/3 frames. Caster came on in relief to open the fourth inning, with his Athletics down 5-3 to the Red Sox (in Philadelphia). That frame, he gave up a two-run home run to Ted Williams in the fourth and a solo shot to Joe Cronin in the fifth. Then in the fifth, the roof fell in. (Well, there really weren’t any “roofed” ballparks at the time, so maybe the sky tumbled down.) It went like this:
- Triple CF Dom DiMaggio;
- Sacrifice fly, scoring DiMaggio, by RF Doc Cramer;
- Solo Homer, LF Ted Williams;
- Solo Homer, 1B Jimmie Foxx;
- Solo Homer, SS Joe Cronin;
- Triple, 2B Bobby Doerr;
- Two-run homer, 3B Jim Tabor;
- Les McCrabb relievers Caster.
Caster pitched in 12 MLB seasons (1934-35, 1937-46), going 76-100. He twice led the AL in losses (1938 and 1940). He also had a league-topping 12 saves in 1944, when he went 4-4, 2.44 in 42 games (his best MLB season). He gave up 0.8 HR per nine innings over his career.
Tim Wakefield, RHP, Red Sox …. August 8, 2004
Wakefield lasted five innings in his August 8, 2004 start for the Red Sox (versus the Tigers in Detroit), Surprisingly, despite giving up six home runs in five innings, he left with a 10-7 lead and got credit for the ultimate 11-9 victory. Wakefield gave up a solo home runs to C Ivan Rodriguez with two outs in the bottom of the first; consecutive solo shots to RF Craig Monroe and 3B Eric Munson with one out in the second; solo home runs to Rodriguez and 1B Carlos Pena in the third; and a solo shot to DH Dmitri Young in the fifth. Wakefield was in his 12th MLB season at the time of the six-homer game. He finished the campaign at 12-10, 4.87 – and his career stat line was 200-180, 4.41. The one-time All Star gave up 1.2 home runs per game over his career.
R.A. Dickey, RHP, Rangers ….April 6, 2006
The 31-year-old Dickey pitched in just one MLB game in 2006 (he had 22 minor-league appearances/19 starts that season). In fact, Dickey, who broke into professional baseball in 1997, spent at least part of every season from 1997 through 2010 in the minor leagues – before pitching seven full MLB seasons (2011-17, Mets, Blue Jays, Braves) during which: he went 87-81 in 269 games (226 starts); led the league in starts three times; and won a Cy Young Award (2012 Mets). In his April 6, 2006, start (for the Rangers) versus the Tigers in Texas, he lasted 3 1/3 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits and one walk, while fanning one. The six homers went: solo shot, 3B Brandon Inge leading off the top of the first; solo home run for RF Magglio Ordonez with two out in the first; solo homer by 1B Chris Shelton leading off the second; solo homer by Shelton (again) with one out in the fourth; two-run homer by CF Craig Monroe and solo homer by LF Marcus Thames also with one out in in the fourth.
Dickey pitched in 15 MLB seasons and went 120-118, 4.04 in 400 appearances (300 starts). In 2012, when he won the NL Cy Young Award, he went 20-6, 2.73 and led the league in starts (33), complete games (5), shutouts (3), innings pitched (233 1/3) and strikeouts (230). He gave up 1.1 home runs per nine innings over his MLB career.
James Shields, RHP, Rays … August 7, 2010
Shields started for the Rays (against the Blue Jays in Toronto) on August 7, 2010. He lasted just four innings in a 17-11 slugfest won by the Blue Jays. Shields took the loss, giving up eight runs on nine hits and four walks, fanning two. The home runs: a two-run homer by C J.P. Arencibia in the bottom of the second; a home run (on the first pitch) to DH Adam Lind leading off the second, followed in the inning by a home run by 2B Aaron Hill, a fly out and a home run by 3B Edwin Encarnacion; a home run by RF Jose Bautista leading off the fourth and a home run by Hill with two outs in the inning (both solos).
Shields pitched in 13 MLB seasons (2006-2018) and went 145-139, 4.01, giving up 1.2 home runs per nine innings. In that 2010 season, he went 13-15, 5.18. In 2016, he tied for the MLB lead in losses with 19 and, in 2018 (his final season), he tied for the MLB lead with 16 losses. His best season was 2011, when he went 16-12, 2.82 for the Rays and was an All Star selection.
Michael Blazek, RHP, Brewers … July 27, 2017
Blazek lasted just 2 1/3 innings (tied for the fewest among the games in this list) in his July 27, 2017 start for the Brewers (versus the Nationals in Washington D.C.). He gave up eight runs on seven hits and one walk (four whiffs) in a 15-2 Brewers’ loss. It was his only career MLB start.
He gave up just two runs over the first two innings (on a Bryce Harper home run in the first), but things unraveled in the bottom of the third:
- P Max Scherzer walked;
- CF Brian Goodwin homered;
- SS Wilmer Difo homered;
- RF Bryce Harper homered;
- 1B Ryan Zimmerman homered;
- 2B Daniel Murphy flied out;
- 3B Anthony Rendon, homered;
- Wily Peralta relieved Blazek.
Blazek pitched five MLB seasons (2013, 2015-17, 2019) and went 8-6, 4.50 in 113 games (just one start). He gave up 1.4 HRs per nine innings. His best season was 2015, when he went 5-3, 2.43 for the Brewers in 45 appearances.
Primary Resource: Baseball-Reference.com
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