Little League Home Runs Database
The SABR Little League Home Runs Database is an effort to compile a definitive list of one of baseball’s most entertaining and memorable plays. A “Little League Home Run” is defined as a play during which the batter scores, and either:
- Two errors are committed on a play; or
- One error is committed on the play, which is not an extra-base hit, and the error is charged to a non-outfielder.
Click here to access the SABR Little League Home Runs database
Chuck Hildebrandt, chair emeritus of SABR’s Baseball and the Media Committee, began unearthing and reporting on these plays for his award-winning presentation at the SABR 45 convention in 2015. Through the end of the 2018 season, he has confirmed a total of 383 Little League Home Runs throughout MLB history, including additional historical incidents discovered from the 1921, 1923, 1924, 1931, 1937, 1939, and 1940 seasons. In addition to these confirmed occurrences, there are two other potential Little League Home Run plays that still need to be confirmed:
- July 30, 1921: Dickey Kerr; Chicago White Sox vs. Philadelphia A’s; 2nd inning, Game 1 of DH; Play: Single, advancing on E9, scored on E3-throw. – Sources already checked: Chicago Tribune; Philadelphia Inquirer
- August 27, 1944: George (Pinky) Woods; Boston Red Sox vs. Philadelphia A’s; 9th inning, Game 2 of DH; Play: ROE E6-throw, scored on E3. – Sources already checked: Boston Globe; Boston Herald; Lowell (Mass.) Sun; Christian Science Monitor; Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadelphia Daily Bulletin; Philadelphia Public Ledger; Philadelphia Daily News; The Sporting News; Boston Record; Boston American; Boston Traveler
If you can uncover any evidence confirming or rejecting these plays as being a Little League Home Run, or anything else related to this phenomenon, please contact Chuck at LittleLeagueHomeRuns@gmail.com. This database is intended to be maintained as a living document, which will be updated annually as each new season is played, as well as when Retrosheet brings newly discovered play-by-play for additional historical seasons online. If you would like to view and/or listen to Chuck’s original SABR 45 presentation of “’Little League Home Runs’ in MLB History,” follow the links below:
- Audio: Click here to download the MP3 file and listen to Chuck’s presentation
- Slides: Click here to download the PowerPoint file and view Chuck’s slides
Finally, please be sure to read the denouement of the Little League Home Runs project, entitled “’Little League Home Runs’ in MLB History: The Denouement”, in the Spring 2017 issue of the Baseball Research Journal. Or click here to read “Fun Facts About Little League Home Runs.”