The Home Run (Continued)
Milestone Home Runs
National Association of Base Ball Players
July 16, 1866:
Lipman Pike, Athletic Club of Philadelphia, hits six homeruns (five in a row) against the Alert Club of Philadelphia. The Athletics win 67-25.
July 17, 1867:
George Wright hits five homeruns for the National of Washington Club during their famous western tour against a local club from Louisville, Kentucky.
July 21, 1867:
Third baseman George Fox hits two homeruns in a 28-run second inning as the National of Washington Club beat the Union Club of St. Louis 113-26, during the Nationals western tour.
September 2, 1867
The Cincinnati Club, later known as the Red Stockings, soundly beats the Holt Club of Newport, KY, 109-15. Shortstop John C. Howe and pitcher Harry Wright of Cincinnati each hit 7 home runs.
September 6, 1869:
Joe Start of the Brooklyn Atlantics hits four home runs in a 45-25 win over the Brooklyn Eckfords at the Capitoline Grounds. Start, who hit for the cycle, also had a single, double and triple, totaling 22 bases.
National Association of Professional Base Ball Players
May 8, 1871:
Cleveland Forest Citys third baseman Ezra Sutton, who batted cross-handed, hits the first home run in National Association history. In the fourth inning and pitcher Al Pratt on base, Sutton hit Chicago White Stockings pitcher George Zettlein's offering over leftfielder Mart King. Later in the game, Sutton hit a second home run, making him the first and second professional player to hit home runs as well as the first to hit two in the same game.
National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs
May 2, 1876:
Chicago White Stockings second baseman Ross Barnes hits the first homerun in NL history. The feat occurred in Cincinnati, at Avenue Grounds, in a 15-9 victory. It would turn out to be the only homerun for Barnes that season, who would win the batting title with a .429 average.
July 26, 1879:
Syracuse Stars pitcher Harry McCormick hits a home run in the first inning and then proceeds to beat the Boston Red Caps and pitcher Tommy Bond 1-0. The game was the first of a double-header and was played in Syracuse at Newell Park. This will be the only time in major league history that a pitcher would win his own 1-0 pitched game with a first inning home run.
June 10, 1880:
Boston Red Caps' left fielder Charley Jones hits two home runs in one inning, becoming the first National League player to accomplish this feat. Both home runs come against Buffalo Bisons pitcher Tom Poorman in the eighth inning of a 19-3 rout in Boston at the South End Grounds (I).
September 10, 1881:
First baseman Roger Conner of the Troy Trojans hits the first grand slam in National League history. The blow comes off Worcester Ruby Legs' Lee Richmond, in Albany, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and clinches the victory, 8-7.
May 30, 1884:
In the second game of a doubleheader between the Chicago White Stockings and the Detroit Wolverines, Chicago third baseman Ned Williamson becomes the first player to hit three home runs in a National League game. The first homerun was hit off of Detroit's Stump Weidman and the other two off of Frank Meinke, in the White Stockings 12-2 victory at Chicago at Lake Front Park (III). The three home runs hit are the first three of the season and help Williamson set the single season mark at 27, 25 of which were hit in Chicago. The record would stand until Babe Ruth hit 29 home runs in 1919.
“World Series” October 24, 1884:
In game two of the first "World Series" in 1884, played at the Polo Grounds (I) in New York, Providence Grays (National League) third baseman Jerry Denny hits the first home run in post-season play. The three-run home run came in the fifth inning off of New York Metropolitans (American Association) pitcher Tim Keefe and was hit to center field over the 10-foot high canvas fence. Providence would win the game 3-1.
“World Series” October 19, 1886:
In game two of the "World Series," between the St Louis Browns (American Association) and the Chicago White Stockings (National League), Browns left fielder James "Tip" O'Neill hits two inside-the-park home runs off of Jim McCormick in Chicago at West Side Park (I), to become the first player with two round-trippers in championship play. The Browns won 12-0. This game also featured three umpires for the first time; "Honest" John Kelly, John McQuaid and Joe Quest.
American Association of Base Ball Clubs
August 15, 1886:
Louisville Colonels pitcher Guy Hecker hit three home runs in the second of two games played against the Baltimore Orioles in Louisville at Eclipse Park (I). Hecker walked four, struck out four and scored seven times in the 22-5 win. No other American Association player would hit three home runs in one game or score seven times in one game during the AA's 10-year existence. In 1886, Hecker would become the only pitcher to lead the league in batting average as he ended the season hitting .341, .001 points higher than teammate Pete Browning.
October 9, 1889:
Substitute Charlie Reilly of the Columbus Solons, who appeared in six games in 1889, becomes the first in professional base ball history to hit two home runs in his major league debut. Columbus would beat the Philadelphia Athletics 10-6, in Columbus at Recreation Park (II). Reilly would finish with three homeruns for the Solons.
Players' National League of Base Ball Clubs
May 31, 1890:
New York Giants players George Gore, Buck Ewing and Roger Conner hit consecutive homers in the eighth inning against the Chicago Pirates. This feat will not be matched until May 10, 1894.
National League and American Association of Base Ball Clubs
May 30, 1894:
Boston Beaneaters second baseman Bobby Lowe homers in four consecutive at bats against Elton Chamberlin, including two in the third inning, to help beat the Cincinnati Reds 20-11 in the second game of a doubleheader in Boston at Congress Street Grounds. Lowe becomes the first professional player to hit four home runs in a single game and added a single for a total of 17 bases for the game.
September 10, 1895:
Boston Beaneaters substitute third baseman Joe Harrington becomes the first known player to hit a homerun in his first professional at-bat. The historic hit came against the St. Louis Browns in Boston at South End Grounds (II).
July 13, 1896:
Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Ed Delahanty hits four (inside-the-park) homeruns against Adonis Terry of the Colts, in a 9-8 loss at Chicago's West Side Park (III). The feat, four homeruns in a losing effort, will not be matched for 90 years, occurring again in 1986.
April 21, 1898:
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Bill Duggleby becomes the first player to ever hit a bases-full home run in his first major league at bat. The blow came off of New York Giants pitcher Cy Seymour in the second inning in Philadelphia at Philadelphia baseball Grounds (II). No professional player will hit a grand slam in their first game until Bobby Bonds in 1968.
19th century baseball expert, author and historian David Nemec graciously contributed to this article.
