On June 27, 2008, the New York Mets and New York Yankees combined hit for the home-run cycle in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. For the Mets, Carlos Beltran hit a two-run home run in the second and Carlos Delgado hit a grand slam in the sixth and three-run home run in the eighth while Alex Rodriguez hit a solo home run in the sixth for the Yankees.
On July 7, 2009, Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko came within a three-run home run of hitting the home run cycle. He hit a solo home run in the second inning off Cleveland Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers, a grand slam in the sixth inning off reliever Chris Perez, and a two-run home run in the seventh inning off reliever Winston Abreu.[20]
On August 1, 2009, Andrew McCutchen, center fielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates, hit a solo home run in the first inning, a two run home run in the fourth inning, and a three run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had one final at bat in the game. Had he hit a grand slam in his final at bat, McCutchen would have been the only major league player in history to hit for the natural home run cycle — a solo home run first, a two run home run second, a three run home run third and a grand slam fourth.
On September 17, 2010, Shin-Soo Choo, right fielder for the Cleveland Indians, hit three home runs in an away game against the Kansas City Royals. Choo hit a 2-run homer 420 ft to right in the top of the 4th inning. In Choo's next at bat, in the top of the 6th, he hit a towering grand slam to deep center. In the top of the 8th Choo hit a 405 ft solo homer over the right field wall. In the top of the 9th, the Indians had two men on at 1st and 2nd with Choo waiting on deck, when Asdrúbal Cabrera grounded out to first to end the inning. With the Indians leading 11–4, the Royals went out 1–2–3 to end the game.[21]
On June 27, 2012, the New York Mets hit a home run cycle against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Daniel Murphy hit a two run home run in the fourth inning off of Jeff Samardzija, Ike Davis hit a three run home run in the sixth inning off of Samardzija, Daniel Murphy hit a solo home run in the fifth, his second of the game, off of Casey Coleman, and Scott Hairston hit a grand slam in the sixth inning off of Coleman to cap a 17–1 win over the Cubs. [22]
Graph depicting the yearly number of home runs per MLB game (blue line)
History of the home run
In the early days of the game, when the ball was less lively and the ballparks generally had very large outfields, most home runs were of the inside-the-park variety. The first home run ever hit in the National League was by Ross Barnes of the Chicago White Stockings (now known as the Chicago Cubs), in 1876. The home "run" was literally descriptive. Home runs over the fence were rare, and only in ballparks where a fence was fairly close. Hitters were discouraged from trying to hit home runs, with the conventional wisdom being that if they tried to do so they would simply fly out. This was a serious concern in the 19th century, because in baseball's early days a ball caught after one bounce was still an out. The emphasis was on place-hitting and what is now called "manufacturing runs" or "small ball".
The home run's place in baseball changed dramatically when the live-ball era began after World War I. First, the materials and manufacturing processes improved significantly, making the now-mass-produced, cork-centered ball somewhat more lively. Batters such as Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby took full advantage of rules changes that were instituted during the 1920s, particularly prohibition of the spitball, and the requirement that balls be replaced when worn or dirty. These changes resulted in the baseball being easier to see and hit, and easier to hit out of park. Meanwhile, as the game's popularity boomed, more outfield seating was built, shrinking the size of the outfield and increasing the chances of a long fly ball resulting in a home run. The teams with the sluggers, typified by the New York Yankees, became the championship teams, and other teams had to change their focus from the "inside game" to the "power game" in order to keep up.
Prior to 1931, a ball that bounced over an outfield fence during a major league game was considered a home run. The rule was changed to require the ball to clear the fence on the fly, and balls that reached the seats on a bounce became ground rule doubles in most parks. A carryover of the old rule is that if a player deflects a ball over the outfield fence without it touching the ground, it is a home run.
The Polo Grounds left field foul line with guide rope, as seen from upper deck, 1917
On July 7, 2009, Chicago White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko came within a three-run home run of hitting the home run cycle. He hit a solo home run in the second inning off Cleveland Indians pitcher Jeremy Sowers, a grand slam in the sixth inning off reliever Chris Perez, and a two-run home run in the seventh inning off reliever Winston Abreu.[20]
On August 1, 2009, Andrew McCutchen, center fielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates, hit a solo home run in the first inning, a two run home run in the fourth inning, and a three run home run in the sixth inning of a game against the Washington Nationals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He had one final at bat in the game. Had he hit a grand slam in his final at bat, McCutchen would have been the only major league player in history to hit for the natural home run cycle — a solo home run first, a two run home run second, a three run home run third and a grand slam fourth.
On September 17, 2010, Shin-Soo Choo, right fielder for the Cleveland Indians, hit three home runs in an away game against the Kansas City Royals. Choo hit a 2-run homer 420 ft to right in the top of the 4th inning. In Choo's next at bat, in the top of the 6th, he hit a towering grand slam to deep center. In the top of the 8th Choo hit a 405 ft solo homer over the right field wall. In the top of the 9th, the Indians had two men on at 1st and 2nd with Choo waiting on deck, when Asdrúbal Cabrera grounded out to first to end the inning. With the Indians leading 11–4, the Royals went out 1–2–3 to end the game.[21]
On June 27, 2012, the New York Mets hit a home run cycle against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Daniel Murphy hit a two run home run in the fourth inning off of Jeff Samardzija, Ike Davis hit a three run home run in the sixth inning off of Samardzija, Daniel Murphy hit a solo home run in the fifth, his second of the game, off of Casey Coleman, and Scott Hairston hit a grand slam in the sixth inning off of Coleman to cap a 17–1 win over the Cubs. [22]
Graph depicting the yearly number of home runs per MLB game (blue line)
History of the home run
In the early days of the game, when the ball was less lively and the ballparks generally had very large outfields, most home runs were of the inside-the-park variety. The first home run ever hit in the National League was by Ross Barnes of the Chicago White Stockings (now known as the Chicago Cubs), in 1876. The home "run" was literally descriptive. Home runs over the fence were rare, and only in ballparks where a fence was fairly close. Hitters were discouraged from trying to hit home runs, with the conventional wisdom being that if they tried to do so they would simply fly out. This was a serious concern in the 19th century, because in baseball's early days a ball caught after one bounce was still an out. The emphasis was on place-hitting and what is now called "manufacturing runs" or "small ball".
The home run's place in baseball changed dramatically when the live-ball era began after World War I. First, the materials and manufacturing processes improved significantly, making the now-mass-produced, cork-centered ball somewhat more lively. Batters such as Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby took full advantage of rules changes that were instituted during the 1920s, particularly prohibition of the spitball, and the requirement that balls be replaced when worn or dirty. These changes resulted in the baseball being easier to see and hit, and easier to hit out of park. Meanwhile, as the game's popularity boomed, more outfield seating was built, shrinking the size of the outfield and increasing the chances of a long fly ball resulting in a home run. The teams with the sluggers, typified by the New York Yankees, became the championship teams, and other teams had to change their focus from the "inside game" to the "power game" in order to keep up.
Prior to 1931, a ball that bounced over an outfield fence during a major league game was considered a home run. The rule was changed to require the ball to clear the fence on the fly, and balls that reached the seats on a bounce became ground rule doubles in most parks. A carryover of the old rule is that if a player deflects a ball over the outfield fence without it touching the ground, it is a home run.
The Polo Grounds left field foul line with guide rope, as seen from upper deck, 1917
