The record for most home runs in a single game is officially eight, held by Jay Clarke for Corsicana of the Texas League on June 15, 1902. (Clarke’s total is still disputed, reported by some newspapers as three homers at the time but with no surviving box score to help confirm or deny his feat.) Five home runs in a game has been achieved five times: Pete Schneider (1923), Lou Frierson (1934), Cecil Dunn (1936), Dick Lane (1948), and Parker DePasquale (2023). In the pre-professional league era, Lipman Pike hit five home runs in 1866 and Joe Start hit four home runs in 1869.

• Related link: Click here to read all SABR Games Project stories about 4-HR games

The 22 players to hit four home runs in a major league game are highlighted below. Negro Leagues great Josh Gibson, who hit four home runs for the Homestead Grays in 1938, is included on this list although no box score has been located yet.

June 8, 1889: Jack Crooks

• Western Association, at Saint Paul, MN
  Omaha Omahogs 19, Saint Paul Apostles 15
  John C. Crooks of the Omahogs went 5-5 with 4 home runs and a single. 

May 31, 1892: Dan Cronin

• New England League, at Salem, MA
  Pawtucket 17, Salem 9
  Pawtucket first baseman Daniel F. Cronin had 4 home runs.

MAY 30, 1894: BOBBY LOWE

• National League, at Congress Street Grounds, Boston, MA
  Boston Beaneaters 20, Cincinnati Reds 11
  Robert L. Lowe of the Beaneaters became the first player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit two home runs in the third inning, one in the fifth, and one in the sixth. After Lowe’s fourth home run, the crowd in Boston cheered him wildly and threw coins and cash at him, totaling $160. Lowe’s fifth hit, a single, gave him 17 total bases, a National League record that stood for 60 years. He finished 5-6 with 4 home runs and 4 runs scored.

July 30, 1894: Buck Freeman

• New England League, at Haverhill, MA
  Haverhill vs. Pawtucket Maroons
  Haverhill’s John Frank “Buck” Freeman went 5-5 with four homers (including 1 inside-the-park home run) and 13 RBIs. He had 2 homers in the next game, too.
  

May 12, 1895: Bill Bottenus

• Eastern League, at Buffalo Baseball Park, Buffalo, NY
  Buffalo Bisons 18, Wilkes-Barre Coal Barons 13
  Bisons leadoff hitter/left fielder William G. Bottenus went 5-for-5 with 4 home runs, 9 RBIs, and 18 total bases. Click here to read more about this game.

May 28, 1895: Hercules Burnett

• Southern League, at Louisiana Street Park, Evansville, IN
  Evansville Black Birds 25, Memphis Giants 10
  Black Birds right fielder Hercules H. Burnett had 4 home runs.

June 11, 1895: Bill Kuehne

• Western League, at Hiawatha Park, Minneapolis, MN
  Minneapolis Millers 16, Indianapolis Indians 5
  Millers third baseman William J. Kuehne had 4 home runs.

July 23, 1895: Perry Werden

• Western League, at Hiawatha Park, Minneapolis, MN
  Minneapolis Millers 18, Detroit Tigers 5
  Millers first baseman Perry W. Werden had 4 home runs.

JULY 13, 1896: ED DELAHANTY

• National League, at West Side Grounds, Chicago, IL
  Chicago Colts 9, Philadelphia Phillies 8
  Phillies outfielder Edward J. Delahanty became the second player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer in the first inning, homers in the fourth and seventh, and another inside-the-park homer in the ninth. He finished 5-5 with 4 homers, 4 runs scored, and 9 RBIs. 

June 15, 1902: Jay Clarke

• Texas League, at Ennis, TX
  Corsicana Oil Cities 51, Texarkana Casketmakers 3
  Oil Cities catcher Jay J. Clarke went 8-8 with eight home runs, a single-game professional record. Game played away from Corsicana’s home park to avoid blue laws. Note: Clarke’s total is still disputed, reported by some newspapers as three homers and eight runs scored, but there is no surviving box score to help confirm or deny his feat. Click here to read Allen Tait’s analysis on Clarke’s controversial performance in the Journal of Canadian Baseball.

May 14, 1903: Henry Bateman

• Texas League, at Corsicana, TX
  Paris Parasites vs. Corsicana Oil Cities
  Henry Quait Bateman of Paris went 5-5 with 4 home runs and a triple.
  

September 9, 1913: Waldo Jackley

• Ohio State League, at Hamilton, OH
  Ironton Nailers 16, Hamilton Maroons 5
  Waldo T. Jackley of the Nailers had 4 home runs.

June 24, 1919: High Pockets Kelly

• International League, at Lauers Park, Reading, PA
  Rochester Hustlers 19, Reading Coal Barons 0
  Hustlers first baseman George “High Pockets” Kelly, a future Hall of Famer, went 5-6 with 4 home runs, a double and 9 RBIs.

August 31, 1920: Frank Askland

• South Dakota League, at Wessington Springs, SD
  Mitchell Kernels 16, Wessington Springs Saints 5
  Kernels catcher Frank Askland had 4 home runs.

May 11, 1923: Pete Schneider

• Pacific Coast League, at Bonneville Park, Salt Lake City, UT
  Vernon Tigers 35, Salt Lake City Bees 11
  Tiger right fielder Peter J. Schneider went 6-8 with 5 home runs — including two grand slams, and two home runs in the seventh inning alone — and 14 RBIs.

August 9, 1923: John Gillespie

• Eastern League, at Hampden Park, Springfield, MA
  Bridgeport Americans 10, Springfield Ponies 9, 10 innings
  Americans pitcher John P. Gillespie had 4 home runs, including the game-winner in the 10th inning.

July 19, 1924: Bud Davis

• Western Association, at Petrolia Park, Okmulgee, OK
  Okmulgee Drillers vs. Springfield Midgets
  Davis went 5-5 with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs.
  

July 15, 1925: Earl Waltz

• Blue Ridge League, at Martinsburg, WV
  Waynesboro Villagers 16, Martinsburg Blue Sox 5
  Earl W. Waltz of the Villagers had 4 home runs.

May 17, 1926: Ben “Al” Mallonee

• Virginia League, at Portsmouth, VA
  Richmond Colts 17, Portsmouth Truckers 5
  Howard B. “Al” Mallonee of the Colts had 4 home runs. He had homered in his previous two games and homered in his next game, too.

July 14, 1926: Al Maderas

• Three-I League, at Eagles Park, Quincy, IL
  Quincy Red Birds 14, Springfield Senators 12
  Senators’ Alfredo J. Maderas had 4 home runs.

July 17, 1927: Clay Hopper

• Three-I League, at Eagles Park, Quincy, IL
  Danville Veterans 28-1, Quincy Red Birds 6-2, second game, 7 innings.
  In the first game, Robert “Clay” Hopper of the Veterans had 4 home runs.

June 11, 1928: Tommy Harris

• West Texas League, at Midland, TX
  Midland Colts 27, Hamlin Pied Pipers 9
  Colts left fielder Thomas F. Harris had 4 home runs. Click here to view an article and box score of this game.

May 13, 1930: Walter Holke

• New York-Pennsylvania League, at Buehler Park, Hazleton, PA
  Scranton Miners 9, Hazleton Mountaineers 8
  Mountaineers manager-first baseman Walter H. Holke had 4 home runs.

June 8, 1930: Ken Strong

• New York-Pennsylvania League, at Buehler Park, Hazleton, PA
  Hazleton Mountaineers 12, Wilkes-Barre 3
  Mountaineers left fielder Kenneth E. Strong had 4 home runs.

June 1, 1932: Buzz Arlett

• International League, at Lauers Park, Reading, PA
  Baltimore Orioles 14, Reading Keystones 13
  Orioles left fielder Russell L. “Buzz” Arlett had 4 home runs, including the first three while batting left-handed. It was the first of two 4-HR games for Arlett in 1932.

JUNE 3, 1932: LOU GEHRIG

• American League, at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA
  New York Yankees 20, Philadelphia A’s 13
  Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig became the third player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit 4 home runs in his first 4 at-bats, but his greatest day was overshadowed by the announcement of John McGraw’s retirement. In Gehrig’s sixth at-bat, Al Simmons robbed him of a potential home run with a leaping catch in deep center field.

July 4, 1932: Buzz Arlett

• International League, at Oriole Park, Baltimore, MD
  Baltimore Orioles 21, Reading Keystones 10
  Oriole left fielder Russell L. “Buzz” Arlett had 4 home runs, including a grand slam. His first and fourth HRs came right-handed. It was his second four-home run game in five weeks.

May 30, 1934: Lou Frierson

• West Dixie League, at League Park, Paris, TX
  Jacksonville Jax 17, Paris Pirates 12
  William L. “Lou” Frierson of the Pirates went 5-6 with 5 home runs and 8 RBIs. The home runs came in five consecutive at-bats.

June 14, 1935: Dale Alexander

• American Association, at Nicollet Park, Minneapolis, MN
  Kansas City Blues 15, Minneapolis Millers 2
  D. Dale Alexander of the Blues had 4 home runs in his first 4 at-bats — then hit into a double play his fifth time up.

April 29, 1936: Cecil Dunn

• Evangeline League, at Legion Field, Lake Charles, LA
  Alexandria Aces 28, Lake Charles Skippers 5
  Aces first baseman Cecil A. Dunn went 6-7 with 5 home runs, a single, and 12 RBIs.

June 15, 1936: Tip Tobin

• East Texas League, at Marshall, TX
  Marshall Orphans vs. Jacksonville Jax
  Orphans third baseman John Martin “Tip” Tobin went 4-5 with 4 homers and 8 RBIs. Click here to view an article and box score of this game.

JULY 10, 1936: CHUCK KLEIN

• National League, at Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, PA
  Philadelphia Phillies 9, Pittsburgh Pirates 6, 10 innings
  Phillies right fielder Charles H. “Chuck” Klein became the fourth player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and solo homers in the fifth, seventh, and 10th innings. He finished 4-5 with 4 homers, 4 runs scored, and 6 RBIs.

August 24, 1936: Taylor Sanford

• Bi-State League, at Mayodan Park, Mayodan, NC
  Danville Leafs 13, Mayodan Orphans 3
  Taylor H. Sanford of the Leafs had 4 home runs.

May 6, 1938: Bob Seeds

• International League, at Offerman Stadium, Buffalo, NY
  Newark Bears 22, Buffalo Bisons 9
  Bears right fielder Robert I. Seeds hit 4 home runs — in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings. In his next game, he hit 3 homers.

JULY 28, 1938: JOSH GIBSON

• Negro National League, at Mark Park, Zanesville, OH
  Homestead Grays 17, Memphis Red Sox 4
  Grays right fielder Josh Gibson became the fifth player in major-league history to hit four home runs, which he accomplished in a game against the Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League. No box score for this game has been located yet, but visit Gary Ashwill’s Agate Type blog for more details.

August 13, 1938: Mel Wasley

• Northern League, at Athletic Park, Duluth, MN
  Duluth Dukes 17, Fargo-Moorhead Twins 5
  In the first game of a doubleheader, Dukes center fielder Melvin C. Wasley had 4 home runs.

July 4, 1940: Ab Wright

• American Association, at Nicollet Park, Minneapolis, MN
  Minneapolis Millers 17, Saint Paul Saints 5
  In the second game of a doubleheader, Millers right fielder Albert O. “Ab” Wright went 5-5 with 4 home runs, a triple, and 7 RBIs.

July 8, 1940: Babe Paul

• Western Association, at Athletic Park, Muskogee, OK
  Muskogee Reds 10, Joplin Miners 8
  Reds third baseman Erwin B. “Babe” Paul had 4 home runs.

September 3, 1945: Bill Hart

• American Association, at Lexington Park, Saint Paul, MN
  Saint Paul Saints 16, Minneapolis Millers 1
  In the first game of a doubleheader, Saints shortstop William W. Hart had 4 home runs.

May 3, 1946: Ken Rhyne

• Georgia-Florida League, at Moultrie, GA
  Moultrie Packers 12, Thomasville Tigers 2
  Packers first baseman Kenneth E. Rhyne had 4 home runs.

May 2, 1947: Ken Myers

• Sunset League, at City Park, Las Vegas, NV
  Las Vegas Wranglers 30, Ontario Orioles 5
  Wranglers first baseman Kenneth E. Myers had 4 home runs.

May 9, 1947: Ross Morrow

• North Carolina State League, at Mooresville Park, Mooresville, NC
  Mooresville Moors 18, Concord Weavers 17
  Ross M. Morrow of the Moors had 4 home runs.

June 1, 1947: Philip Alotta, Vince Pascale

• Sunset League, at Moana Park, Reno, NV
  Reno Silver Sox 22, Ontario Orioles 19
  In the first game of a doubleheader, Silver Sox center fielder Philip Alotta went 5-6 with 4 homers and 9 RBIs while first baseman Vincent A. Pascale went 5-6 with 4 homers and 6 RBIs — the only known instance where two players each had 4 homers in a single game. Click here to read a Reno Evening Gazette article about this game.

September 5, 1947: Frank Carswell

• Big State League, at Paris, TX
  Paris Red Peppers 26, Austin Pioneers 22
  Frank W. Carswell of the Red Peppers had 4 home runs, including two in the second inning.

May 18, 1948: Floyd Yount

• Western Carolina League, at Newton, NC
  Newton-Conover Twins 12, Lincolnton Cardinals 8
  Twins manager F. Edwin Yount had 4 home runs.

June 30, 1948: Len Attyd

• West Texas-New Mexico League, at Lobo Park, Lamesa, TX
  Albuquerque Dukes 31, Lamesa Lobos 10
  Dukes third baseman Leonard F. Attyd had 4 home runs.

July 3, 1948: Dick Lane

• Central League, at Dwenger Park, Fort Wayne, IN
  Muskegon Clippers 28, Fort Wayne Generals 6
  Clippers leadoff hitter/center fielder Dick Lane went 6-for-7 with five homers, a single, and 10 RBIs. He hit two home runs in the fourth inning, when the Clippers scored eight runs. He also homered in the first, sixth, and seventh innings. Click here to view an Indianapolis Star article about Lane’s feat.

JULY 18, 1948: PAT SEEREY

• American League, at Shibe Park, Philadelphia, PA
  Chicago White Sox 12, Philadelphia Athletics 11, 11 innings
  White Sox left fielder Pat Seerey became the sixth player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a solo homer in the fourth inning, a two-run homer in the fifth, a three-run homer in the sixth, and a go-ahead solo homer in the 11th inning. He finished 4-6 with 4 homers, 4 runs scored, and 7 RBIs.

August 28, 1948: Joe Fortin

• West Texas-New Mexico League, at Lobo Park, Lamesa, TX
  Pampa Oilers 20, Lamesa Lobos 4
  Joseph L. Fortin of the Oilers had 4 home runs.

September 3, 1948: Leonard Cross

• Tri-State League, at Duncan Park, Spartanburg, SC
  Spartanburg Peaches 30, Asheville Tourists 6
  Peaches third baseman Leonard E. Cross went 7-7 with 4 home runs (all in the first four innings), 3 singles and 12 RBIs.

July 27, 1949: Silvio DiMenna

• Virginia League, at McKenzie Street Park, Petersburg, VA
  Petersburg Generals 17, Hopewell Blue Sox 3
  Generals first baseman Silvio DiMenna had 4 home runs.

August 15, 1949: Jack Littrell

• PONY League, at Maple City Park, Hornell, NY
  Hornell Maple Leafs 16, Olean Oilers 7
  Jack N. Littrell of the Maple Leafs had 4 home runs.

August 29, 1949: Pud Miller

• West Texas-New Mexico League, at Lamesa, TX
  Lamesa Lobos 15, Borger Gassers 6
  D.C. “Pud” Miller of the Lobos had 4 home runs.

August 31, 1949: Jim Warner

• Western International League, at Wenatchee, WA
  Wenatchee Chiefs vs. Salem Senators
  Jim Warner of the Chiefs went 4-7 with 4 home runs and 9 RBIs.
  

September 10, 1949: Dixie Upright

• Big State League, at Waco, TX
  Waco Pirates vs. Wichita Falls Spudders
  R.T. “Dixie” Upright went 5-5 with 4 home runs and 6 RBIs in a Big State League playoff game.
  

AUGUST 31, 1950: GIL HODGES

• National League, at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, NY
  Brooklyn Dodgers 19, Boston Braves 3
  Dodgers first baseman Gilbert R. Hodges became the seventh player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a two-run homer in the second inning, a three-run homer in the third, a two-run homer in the sixth, and a two-run homer in the 8th. He finished 5-6 with 4 homers, 5 runs scored, and 9 RBIs.

April 13, 1951: Miguel Gaspar

• Gulf Coast League, at Washington Park, Laredo, TX
  Laredo Apaches 13, Texas City Texans 2
  Miguel “Pilo” Gaspar of the Apaches had 4 home runs.

April 4, 1953: Ted Beard

• Pacific Coast League, at Lane Field, San Diego, CA
  Hollywood Stars 6, San Diego Padres 5
  Cramer T. “Ted” Beard of the Stars had 4 home runs. Beard later became one of the few players to hit a ball over Forbes Field’s 86-foot-tall right field roof.

April 20, 1953: Jerry Crosby

• Western League, at Memorial Field, Colorado Springs, CO
  Colorado Springs Sky Sox 20, Pueblo Dodgers 16
  Jerry L. Crosby of the Sky Sox went 5-5 with 4 home runs — the first batting right-handed and the last three left-handed — and 7 RBIs.

August 3, 1953: Dolph Regelsky

• Cotton States League, at Buckwalter Stadium, Meridian, MS
  Meridian Millers 21, Hot Springs Bathers 6
  Adolph J. Regelsky of the Millers went 5-5 with 4 home runs, a single, and 7 RBIs.

May 20, 1954: Jim Moore

• Evangeline League, at Miller Field, Crowley, LA
  Crowley Millers vs. Lafayette Oilers
  Jim Moore went 5-5 with 4 home runs, a single, and 6 RBIs for Crowley.
  

JULY 31, 1954: JOE ADCOCK

• National League, at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, NY
  Milwaukee Braves 15, Brooklyn Dodgers 7
  Braves first baseman Joseph W. Adcock became the eighth player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a solo homer in the second inning, a three-run homer in the fifth, a two-run homer in the seventh, and a solo homer in the 9th. His 18 total bases also surpassed Bobby Lowe’s 60-year-old major-league record of 17, set in 1894. Adcock finished 5-5 with 4 homers, a double, 5 runs scored, and 7 RBIs.

August 6, 1954: Bill Miller

• Georgia State League, at Pilot Field, Statesboro, GA
  Hazlehurst-Baxley Cardinals 12, Statesboro Pilots 8
  William Miller of the Cardinals had four home runs.

September 1, 1954: Joe Bauman

• Longhorn League, at Fair Park Stadium, Roswell, NM
  Roswell Rockets 15, Sweetwater Spudders 4
  Rockets first baseman Joe Bauman went 5-6 with four home runs, a double and 9 RBIs. He went on to set a professional baseball record with 72 home runs in 1954, not broken until Barry Bonds hit 73 in 2001.

May 22, 1955: Edwin Little

• Big State League, at Schepps Palms Baseball Park, Corpus Christi, TX
  Corpus Christi Clippers 32, Waco Pirates 7
  Keith E. Little of the Clippers went 4-7 with four home runs — in four consecutive at-bats — and 8 RBIs.

July 4, 1955: Paul Mohr

• West Texas-New Mexico League, at Amarillo, TX
  Amarillo Gold Sox vs. Clovis Pioneers
  In the second game of a doubleheader, Paul Mohr of Amarillo went 5-5 with 4 homers (including a grand slam) and 11 RBIs.
  

July 19, 1955: Jim Lemon

• Southern Association, at Rickwood Field, Birmingham, AL
  League All-Stars 10, Birmingham Barons 5
  Chattanooga Lookouts right fielder James R. Lemon went 4-5 with 4 home runs and 7 RBIs in the league All-Star Game.

August 12, 1955: Sonny Tims

• West Texas-New Mexico League, at Hubber Stadium, Lubbock, TX
  Lubbock Hubbers 17, Pampa Oilers 10
  Sonny F. Tims of the Oilers went 5-5 with 4 home runs and 7 RBIs.

August 21, 1955: Jodie Beeler

• West Texas-New Mexico League, at Malin Park, Amarillo, TX
  Amarillo Gold Sox 13, Plainview Ponies 18
  In the second game of a doubleheader, Ponies manager/right fielder Joseph S. “Jodie” Beeler went 4-4 with 4 home runs and 6 RBIs. In the opener, he also hit two home runs.

January 8, 1956: Russ Rac

• Venezuela-Occidental League
  Cabimas 10, Pastora 8
  Russell Rac of Pastora hit 4 home runs.

July 14, 1956: Danny Ozark

• Big State League, at Spudder Park, Wichita Falls, TX
  Wichita Falls Spudders 7, Beaumont Exporters 3
  Spudders manager Daniel L. Ozark went 4-4 with 4 home runs and 6 RBIs. Ozark never played in the major leagues, but managed the Philadelphia Phillies to three NL East division titles in the 1970s.

August 27, 1956: Curt Roberts

• International League, at Jets Stadium, Columbus, OH
  Columbus Jets 10, Havana Sugar Kings 7
  In the first game of a doubleheader, Jets second baseman Curtis B. Roberts went 4-4 with 4 home runs and 6 RBIs in a 7-inning game. Two years earlier, Roberts had been the second Black player and first African-American to appear in a game for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

January 6, 1957: Barney Serrell

• Mexico-Pacific Coast League, at Cuidad Obregon, MX
  Cuidad Obregon 9, Los Mochis 8, 11 innings
  In the first game of a doubleheader, Barney Serrell of Los Mochis had four home runs. Serrell played four years with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League during the 1940s, then went on to a long career in Mexico.

June 13, 1957: Guillermo Nunez

• Central Mexican League, at Fresnillo, MX
  Fresnillo Rojos 23, Durango Alacranes 7
  Jose “Diablo” Nunez of the Rojos had 4 home runs.

JUNE 10, 1959: ROCKY COLAVITO

• American League, at Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, MD
  Cleveland Indians 11, Baltimore Orioles 8
  Indians right fielder Rocco D. Colavito became the ninth player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He finished 4-4 with 4 home runs, a walk, 5 runs scored, and 6 RBIs.

June 13, 1959: Bobby Smith

• Midwest League, at John Petrakis Park, Dubuque, IA
  Clinton Pirates 20, Dubuque Packers 12
  Bobby Lee Smith of the Pirates went 4-5 with 4 home runs, 2 walks, and 10 RBIs. He hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning, a two-run homer in the seventh inning, a two-run homer in the eighth inning, and another three-run homer in the ninth inning. Click here to view an article about this game.

APRIL 30, 1961: WILLIE MAYS

• National League, at County Stadium, Milwaukee, WI
  San Francisco Giants 14, Milwaukee Braves 4
  Giants center fielder Willie Mays became the 10th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a game. He went 4-for-5 with 4 home runs and 8 RBIs; he missed a chance for a fifth homer when the top of the ninth inning ended with him on deck.

May 29, 1961: Al Nagel

• Texas League, at Potter County Stadium, Amarillo, TX
  Ardmore Rosebuds 14, Amarillo Gold Sox 5
  Alfred J. Nagel of the Rosebuds had 4 home runs.

June 25, 1961: Don DiChiara

• New York-Pennsylvania League, at Dwyer Stadium, Batavia, NY
  Jamestown Tigers 14, Batavia Pirates 9
  Pirates first baseman Donald A. DiChiara had 4 home runs.

October 8, 1961: Marcos Arriaga

• Mexico-Northern Autumn League, at Montemorelos, MX
  Saltillo 15, Montemorelos Eagles 3
  Marcos Arriaga of Saltillo had four home runs.

August 20, 1962: Charlie Dees

• Texas League, at Dudley Field, El Paso, TX
  El Paso Sun Kings 11, Amarillo Gold Sox 3
  Charles H. Dees of the Sun Kings had 4 home runs.

May 3, 1964: Sadaharu Oh

• Japan-Central League, at Korakuen Stadium, Tokyo, Japan
  Yomiuri Giants 9, Hanshin Tigers 0
  Giants first baseman Sadaharu Oh had 4 home runs and 6 RBIs. The legendary left-handed slugger finished the 1964 season with a record 55 home runs and he still holds Japan’s all-time career mark with 868 home runs.

July 1, 1969: George Kalafatis

• Southern League, at Paterson Field, Montgomery, AL
  Montgomery Rebels 13, Birmingham A’s 0
  Rebels first baseman George O. Kalafatis had 4 home runs.

APRIL 17, 1976: MIKE SCHMIDT

• National League, at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
  Philadelphia Phillies 18, Chicago Cubs 16, 10 innings
  Phillies third baseman Michael J. Schmidt became the 11th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning, a solo shot in the seventh, a three-run homer in the eighth, and a two-run homer in the 10th inning. He finished 5-6 with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs.

June 9, 1977: Randy Bass

• Pacific Coast League, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
  Phoenix Giants 15, Tacoma Twins 14, 10 innings
  Twins first baseman Randy W. Bass had 4 home runs.

July 14, 1977: Gene Locklear

• International League, at Franklin County Stadium, Columbus, OH
  Syracuse Chiefs 11, Columbus Clippers 1
  Chiefs designated hitter Gene Locklear went 4-for-5 with 6 RBIs. He hit a two-run homer in the second inning, a two-run homer in the third, a solo homer in the seventh, and a solo homer in the ninth. He narrowly missed a fifth home run with a flyout to the warning track in the fifth inning. Click here to view an article about this game.

June 24, 1978: Mike Bishop

• Midwest League, at Athletic Park, Wausau, WI
  Quad Cities Angels 32, Wausau Mets 8
  Angels third baseman Michael D. Bishop had 4 home runs.

June 18, 1980: Tom Brunansky

• Texas League, at Cubs Stadium, Midland, TX
  El Paso Diablos 19, Midland Cubs 9
  Thomas A. Brunansky of the Diablos had 4 home runs.

July 6, 1982: Dave Clements

• New York-Pennsylvania League, at Ainsworth Field, Erie, PA
  Erie Cardinals 24, Batavia Trojans 6, 3:10
  Cardinals shortstop/leadoff hitter David J. Clements had 4 home runs.

June 2, 1983: Franklin Stubbs

• Pacific Coast League, at Albuquerque, NM
  Albuquerque Dukes vs. Phoenix
  Franklin Stubbs went 4-5 with four homers (including two in the second inning) and 7 RBIs.
  

May 14, 1985: Derek Bryant

• Mexican League
  Derek R. Bryant of the Tampico Alijadores had 4 home runs.

JULY 6, 1986: BOB HORNER

• National League, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta, GA
  Montreal Expos 11, Atlanta Braves 8
  Braves first baseman James R. “Bob” Horner became the 12th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit solo home runs in the second and fourth innings, a three-run shot in the fifth, and a solo homer in the ninth. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs.

June 9, 1987: Wade Rowdon

• American Association, at Sec Taylor Stadium, Des Moines, IA
  Iowa Cubs 18, Louisville Redbirds 12
  Cubs designated hitter Wade L. Rowdon had 4 home runs.

May 20, 1988: Pat Garman

• South Atlantic League, at Sims Legion Field, Gastonia, NC
  Gastonia Rangers 17, Myrtle Beach Blue Jays 5
  Rangers third baseman J. Patrick Garman had 4 home runs.

May 25, 1988: Matt Williams

• Pacific Coast League, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Phoenix, AZ
  Phoenix Firebirds vs. Albuquerque Dukes
  Matt Williams went 4-5 with 4 homers and 6 RBIs. He led off the fourth and fifth innings with solo home runs, a game-tying solo homer in the seventh, and his fourth homer in his final at-bat in the 8th. Click here to view an article about this game. 

September 2, 1989: Hiromoto Okubo

• Japan-Eastern League
  Hiromoto Okubo of the Seibu Lions farm team had 4 home runs.

December 10, 1989: Leonel Moa

• Cuban League, at Martires de Barbados, Granma, CU
  Camagüey vs. Granma
  Moa hit four home runs in a game during National Series #29. Moa slugged 272 homers over 15 National Series seasons in Cuba.
  

April 24, 1991: Roy Johnson

• Mexican League
  Campeche vs. Aguascalientes
  Johnson hit 4 home runs in a Mexican League game.
  

SEPTEMBER 7, 1993: MARK WHITEN

• National League, at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, OH
  St. Louis Cardinals 15, Cincinnati Reds 2
  Cardinals center fielder Mark A. Whiten became the 13th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a grand slam in the first inning, three-run homers in the sixth and seventh innings, and a two-run homer in the ninth inning. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 12 RBIs, tying a major-league single-game record.

December 17, 1995: Alberto Diaz

• Cuban League, at Mario Martínez Arará, Matanzas, CU
  Matanzas vs. Camagüey
  Diaz hit 4 home runs in a game during National Series #35. Right-handed hitting shortstop only hit 67 career home runs in 16 seasons in Cuba, all during the aluminum-bat era.  

June 20, 1996: Corey Parker

• Northeast League, at John E. McCarthy Field, West Warwick, RI
  Bangor Blue Ox 16-5, Rhode Island Tiger Sharks 5-7
  In the first game, Blue Ox first baseman Corey Parker had 4 home runs.

June 21, 1996: Nigel Wilson

• Japan-Pacific League, at Fujiidera Stadium, Osaka, Japan
  Nippon Ham Fighters 7, Kintetsu Buffaloes (Osaka) 5
  Nigel Wilson of the Fighters had 4 home runs.

April 8, 1997: Omar Linares

• Cuban League, at Capitán San Luis, Pinar del Río, CU
  Pinar del Río vs. Villa Clara
  Linares, one of Cuba’s all-time home run leaders with 404 in his National Series career, hit 4 home runs in a game vs. Villa Clara during the short-season 30-game Revolutionary Cup II tournament in 1997.  

May 21, 1997: J.R. Phillips

• American Association, at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, NE
  New Orleans Zephyrs 10, Omaha Royals 6
  In the second game of a doubleheader, Zephyrs left fielder Charles G. “J.R.” Phillips had 4 home runs.

August 9, 1997: Bubba Trammell

• International League, at Ned Skelton Stadium, Toledo, OH
  Toledo Mud Hens 11, Richmond Braves 10, 13 innings, 4:18
  Mud Hens left fielder Bubba Trammell had 4 home runs.

April 22, 1998: Eddie Williams

• Pacific Coast League, at Foothills Stadium, Calgary, Alberta
  Las Vegas Stars 20, Calgary Cannons 15, 4:25
  Stars designated hitter/cleanup hitter Edward L. Williams had 4 home runs.

July 27, 1998: Tyrone Horne

• Texas League, at Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium, San Antonio, TX
  Arkansas Travelers 13, San Antonio Missions 4, 2:40
  Travelers left fielder Tyrone Horne became the first known professional player ever to hit for the “home run cycle” — a two-run home run in the first inning, a grand slam in the second, a solo homer in the fifth, and a three-run homer in the 6th. Horne’s feat was later duplicated by Chandler Raymond in 2022. 

September 13, 1999: Eric Battersby

• Midwest League, at Kane County, IL
  Burlington vs. Kane County
  Eric Battersby of Burlington went 4-4 with four homers, a walk and 6 RBIs in a league playoff game.

May 19, 2000: Miguel Ojeda

• Mexican League, at Mexico City, MX
  Mexico City Reds vs. Monclova Aceros
  Miguel Ojeda of the Reds went 4-4 with 4 homers and 8 RBIs for Mexico City.
  

June 21, 2000: Harry Berrios

• Northern League-Central Division, at Alexian Field, Schaumburg, IL
  Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks 24, Schaumburg Flyers 13
  Flyers right fielder Harold J. Berrios had 4 home runs.

August 8, 2000: Ryan Jones

• Northern League-Central Division, at Sioux Falls Stadium, Sioux Falls, SD
  Winnipeg Goldeyes 19, Sioux Falls Canaries 1
  Goldeyes first baseman Ryan Jones had 4 home runs.

August 19, 2001: Lew Ford

• Eastern League, at Binghamton, NY
  New Britain vs. Binghamton
  Lew Ford of New Britain went 4-5 with 4 solo homers.
  

April 20, 2002: Tony Mongeluzzo

• South Atlantic League, at Asheville, NC
  Savannah Sand Gants vs. Asheville Tourists
  Anthony Mongeluzzo of Savannah had 4 solo home runs in 4 at-bats. He also homered in his final at-bat of the previous game (a solo homer in the 12th inning), giving him home runs in 5 consecutive at-bats overall.

MAY 2, 2002: MIKE CAMERON

• American League, at U.S. Cellular Field, Chicago, IL
  Seattle Mariners 15, Chicago White Sox 4
  Mariners center fielder Michael T. Cameron became the 14th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit two solo homers in the first inning, along with solo shots in the third and fifth innings. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 4 RBIs. 

MAY 23, 2002: SHAWN GREEN

• National League, at Miller Park, Milwaukee, WI
  Los Angeles Dodgers 16, Milwaukee Brewers 3
  Dodgers right fielder Shawn D. Green became the 15th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a three-run homer in the second inning and solo homers in the fourth, fifth, and ninth innings. He finished 6-6 with 4 HRs, a double, 6 runs scored and 7 RBIs. His 19 total bases broke Joe Adcock’s mark of 18 in 1954 for the most in a single major-league game.

July 14, 2002: Garrett Jones

• Midwest League, at John O’Donnell Stadium, Davenport, IA
  Quad Cities River Bandits 16, Kane County Cougars 2
  River Bandits first baseman Garrett Jones had 4 home runs.

June 28, 2003: Atsuya Furuta

• Japanese Central League, at Hiroshima Municipal Stadium, Hiroshima, Japan
  Yakult Swallows 14, Hiroshima Toyo Carp 4
  Swallows catcher Atsuya Furuta had 4 home runs.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2003: CARLOS DELGADO

• American League, at Skydome, Toronto, Ontario
  Toronto Blue Jays 10, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8
  Blue Jays first baseman Carlos J. Delgado became the 16th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a three-run homer in the first inning and solo homers in the fourth, sixth, and eighth innings. He finished 4-4 with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs.

June 28, 2004: Brandon Cashman

• Northwest League, at Everett, WA
  Spokane vs. Everett
  Brandon Cashman of Spokane went 4-6 with 4 homers and 9 RBIs.
  

June 28, 2005: Ricardo Saenz

• Mexican League
  Monclova Aceros 14, Aguascalientes Rieleros 1
  Saenz hit 4 home runs in a Mexican League game.
  

October 10, 2005: Brandon Wood

• Arizona Fall League, at Surprise Stadium, Surprise, AZ
  Surprise Scorpions 20, Grand Canyon Rafters 1
  Scorpions shortstop R. Brandon Wood had four home runs.

May 13, 2006: Jorge Alberto Vazquez

• Mexican League
  Angelopolois Tigers 24, Tabasco Olmecas 3
  Vazquez hit 4 home runs in a Mexican League game.
  

June 18, 2006: Jesse Hoorelbeke

• Northern League, at Fargo, ND
  Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks 14, Edmonton Cracker Cats 3
  Hoorelbeke had 4 home runs and 8 RBIs for the Redhawks. Homers came in second, third, fourth and sixth innings.
  

July 28, 2006: Ryan Harvey

• Florida State League, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, Daytona Beach, FL
  Daytona Cubs 10, Clearwater Threshers 9
  Ryan Harvey of the Cubs had 4 home runs and 6 RBIs. He hit solo homers in the first, sixth and seventh innings, then a three-run game-ending homer in the 9th.
  

August 7, 2006: Alexis Gomez

• International League
  Alexis Gomez of the Toledo Mud Hens had 4 home runs.

May 19, 2007: Aaron Bates

• California League, at Lancaster, CA
  Lancaster JetHawks vs. Lake Elsinore Storm
  Aaron Bates of Lancaster went 5-5 with 4 homers, a single and 6 RBIs.

June 23, 2007: Brad Correll

• California League, at Lancaster, CA
  Lancaster JetHawks vs. High Desert Mavericks
  Brad Correll of Lancaster went 4-5 with 4 homers and 8 RBIs. 

August 9, 2008: Micah Hoffpauir

• Pacific Coast League, at Round Rock, TX
  Iowa Cubs vs. Round Rock Express
  Micah Hoffpauir of Iowa went 4-5 with 4 solo homers.
  

August 16, 2008: John Allen

• American Association, at LaGrave Field, Fort Worth, TX
  Fort Worth Cats 14, El Paso Diablos 0
  John Allen of Fort Worth went 5-5 with 8 RBIs. He hit a two-run homer in the second inning, a solo homer in the fourth, and two home runs in the eighth, including a grand slam.

May 14, 2011: Michael Aubrey

• International League, at Alliance Bank Stadium, Syracuse, NY
  Syracuse Chiefs 11, Durham Bulls 0
  Chiefs designated hitter R. Michael Aubrey had 4 home runs.

MAY 8, 2012: JOSH HAMILTON

• American League, at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD
  Texas Rangers 10, Baltimore Orioles 3
  Rangers center fielder Joshua H. Hamilton became the 17th player in major league history to hit 4 home runs in a single game. He hit two-run homers in the first, third, seventh, and eighth innings. He finished 5-5 with 4 HR, a double, and 8 RBIs.

June 10, 2013: Javier Baez

• Florida State League, at Jackie Robinson Ballpark, Daytona Beach, FL
  Daytona Cubs 9, Fort Myers Miracle 6
  Cubs shortstop Javier Baez hit a two-run homer in the first inning, a solo homer in the third, a three-run homer in the fifth, and another solo shot in the 7th. He finished 4-4 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs.
  

May 21, 2014: Jon Griffin

• Southern League, at Smokies Park, Kodak, TN
  Mobile Bay Bears 17, Tennessee Smokies 7
  Bay Bears first baseman Jon Griffin hit two solo homers in the fifth and sixth innings, a three-run homer in the seventh, and a two-run homer in the 9th. He finished 5-6 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs. The following day, Griffin homered in his first at-bat for five homers in five consecutive at-bats.

May 25, 2014: Mike Ford

• South Atlantic League, at L.P. Frans Stadium, Hickory, NC
  Charleston RiverDogs 17, Hickory Crawdads 10
  RiverDogs DH Mike Ford hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and solo homers in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 5 RBIs.
  

September 4, 2014: Byung-ho Park

• Korea Baseball Organization, at Mokdong Baseball Stadium, Seoul, KOR
  Nexen Heroes 13, NC Dinos 5
  Heroes first baseman Byung-ho Park hit two-run homers in the first, seventh, and eighth innings, and a solo homer in the fourth inning. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs.

JUNE 6, 2017: SCOOTER GENNETT

• National League, Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
  Cincinnati Reds 13, St. Louis Cardinals 1
  Reds left fielder Ryan J. “Scooter” Gennett became the 18th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a grand slam in the third inning, a two-run shot in the fourth inning, a solo homer in the sixth inning, and another two-run homer in the eighth inning. He finished 5-5 with 4 HRs and 10 RBIs.

June 16, 2017: Wilin Rosario

• Korea Baseball Organization, at Suwon KT Wiz Park, Suwon, KOR
  Hanwha Eagles 15, KT Wiz 14
  Eagles first baseman Wilin Rosario hit four home runs. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 7 RBIs. Click here to watch highlights on YouTube.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2017: J.D. MARTINEZ

• National League, Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
  Arizona Diamondbacks 13, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
  Diamondbacks right fielder J.D. Martinez became the 19th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, solo shots in the seventh and eighth innings, and a two-run homer in the ninth inning. He finished 4-5 with 4 HRs and 6 RBIs.

October 21, 2017: Jae-il Oh

• Korea Baseball Organization, Masan Stadium, Changwon, KOR
  Doosan Bears 14, NC Dinos 5
  In Game Four of a KBO playoff series, Bears first baseman Jae-il Oh went 4-for-4 with 4 HRs, 4 runs scored, and 9 RBIs to advance to the Korean Series. It was the first 4-HR game in KBO postseason history.  

June 20, 2018: Brian Portelli

• Pecos League, Joe Bauman Park, Roswell, NM
  Roswell Invaders 24, White Sands Pupfish 0
  Invaders left fielder Brian Portelli hit a three-run homer in the first inning, a grand slam in the second, a three-run homer in the third, and a solo home run in the fourth inning. He finished 4-for-5 with 4 HRs, 4 runs scored, and 11 RBIs.
  

April 18, 2019: Will Benson

• Midwest League, Classic Park, Eastlake, OH
  Lake County Captains 12, South Bend Cubs 6
  Captains right fielder Will Benson hit four home runs in his first four at-bats. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning, a solo homer in the third, a grand slam in the fourth, and a solo homer in the 6th. He struck out in his final at-bat in the eighth inning. He finished 4-for-5 with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs.

May 20, 2019: Yasmany Tomás

• Pacific Coast League, Greater Nevada Field, Reno, NV
  Reno Aces 25, Tacoma Rainiers 8
  Aces designated hitter Yasmany Tomás became the second minor-league player of the season to hit four home runs in a game: a three-run homer in the first inning, a solo homer in the third, a two-run homer in the fifth inning, and a solo homer in the eighth inning. He finished 5-for-6 with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs. The Aces hit 10 home runs as a team in the game. Teammate Matt Szczur also hit for the cycle, the first documented instance of two minor-league players achieving these feats in the same game. (The Yankees’ Lou Gehrig and Tony Lazzeri also did it in the major leagues in 1932.)
  

July 28, 2019: Jose Camacho

• Pecos League, Fort Marcy Park, Santa Fe, NM
  Santa Fe Fuego 20, White Sands Pupfish 6
  Fuego third baseman Jose Camacho hit four solo home runs in the first, second, fourth, and sixth innings. He finished 5-for-6 with 4 HRs, 5 runs scored, and 4 RBIs.
  

August 10, 2022: Chandler Redmond

• Texas League, Hodgetown Stadium, Amarillo, TX
  Springfield Cardinals 21, Amarillo Sod Poodles 4
  Cardinals first baseman Chandler Redmond became the second known minor-leaguer (and first since 1998) to hit for the “home run cycle” with a a two-run homer in the fifth inning, a grand slam in the sixth, a solo homer in the seventh, and a three-run homer in the 8th. He finished 5-for-6 with 4 HRs, 5 runs scored, and 11 RBIs.

July 29, 2023: Parker DePasquale

• Pecos League, Fort Marcy Park, Santa Fe, NM
  Santa Fe Fuego 34, Blackwell Flycatchers 5
  Fuego center fielder Parker DePasquale became the first professional player in 75 years to hit five home runs in a game. The Fuego scored 21 runs in the first inning as DePasquale hit three home runs: a solo homer to lead off the game, a two-run homer in his next at-bat, and a three-run homer in his third at-bat of the frame. He grounded out to lead off the second inning, then connected for his fourth home run to lead off the third inning. In the fifth inning, he hit a grand slam for his fifth home run of the night. He finished 5-for-7 with 5 HRs, 5 runs scored, and 11 RBIs.

June 25, 2024: Hogan Windish

• Texas League, Hammons Field, Springfield, MO
  Arkansas Travelers 9, Springfield Cardinals 4
  Travelers designated hitter Hogan Windish hit four home runs — a grand slam in the third inning, two-run homers in the fifth and seventh innings, and a solo homer in the ninth inning. He finished 4-for-4 with 4 HRs, 1 walk, 4 runs scored, and 9 RBIs. 

APRIL 26, 2025: EUGENIO SUÁREZ

• National League, Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ
  Atlanta Braves 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 7
  Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez became the 20th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a solo home run in the second inning, a two-run homer in the fourth inning, a solo shot in the sixth inning, and a game-tying solo home run in the ninth inning. He finished 4-4 with 4 HRs and 5 RBIs.

June 25, 2025: Connor Bagnieski

• Pioneer League, Lindquist Field, Ogden, UT
  Ogden Raptors 14, Northern Colorado Owlz 2
  Raptors designated hitter Connor Bagnieski hit four home runs — a three-run homer in the first inning, a two-run homer in the third, and solo homers in the fifth and eighth innings. He finished 4-for-6 with 4 HRs, 4 runs scored, and 7 RBIs. 

JULY 25, 2025: NICK KURTZ

• American League, Daikin Park, Houston, TX
  Athletics 15, Houston Astros 3
  Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz became the 21st player in major-league history — and the first rookie player — to hit four home runs in a single game and tied Shawn Green’s MLB record with 19 total bases. He hit a two-run home run in the second inning, solo homers in the sixth and eighth innings, and a three-run homer in the ninth inning. He also had a double and single to finish 6-6 with 4 HRs and 8 RBIs.

AUGUST 28, 2025: KYLE SCHWARBER

• National League, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA
  Philadelphia Phillies 19, Atlanta Braves 4
  Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber became the 22nd player in major-league history to hit four home runs in a single game. He hit a solo home run in the first inning, a two-run homer in the fourth inning, and three-run homers in the fifth and seventh innings. He finished 4-6 with 4 HRs and 9 RBIs.

January 10, 2026: Luisangel Acuña

• Liga Venezolana de Béisbol Profesional, Estadio Nueva Esparta, Porlamar, VE
  Cardenales de Lara 21, Bravos de Margarita 9
  Cardenales center fielder Luisangel Acuña became the first Venezuelan League player to hit four home runs in a game — and the first in any winter-ball league since 1995. He hit a two-run homer in the second inning, solo homers in the sixth and seventh innings, and a two-run homer in the ninth inning. He finished 4-for-6 with 4 HRs and a walk, 6 runs scored, and 7 RBIs. 

Last updated: January 12, 2026

This list is a collaborative effort spanning many years of invaluable research. SABR would like to thank the following people for their efforts in — as Yogi Berra would say — making this list necessary: Eduardo Almada, R.J. Anderson, Mark Armour, Gary Ashwill, Davis Barker, Carlos Bauer, John Benesch, Ed Brooks, Peter C. Bjarkman, Jeff Bozovsky, Bill Carle, Jack Carlson, Art Cantu, Dick Clark, Dean Coughenour, Bob Davids, Brian Davis, Bill Deane, Harold Dellinger, Phil S. Dixon, Jack Dougherty, David Eck, Gary Fink, Willie George, Bob Gerard, Larry Gerlach, Ray Gonzalez, Luis Gozzo, Stan Grosshandler, Dave Gumley, Tom Heitz, Bob Hoie, Jim Holl, Joe Hoppel, Ralph Horton, Reed Howard, Tom Hufford, Jerry Jackson, Lloyd Johnson, Cliff Kachline, Dave Kemp, Tony Kissel, Herm Krabbenhoft, Dan Kurtz, Sarah Langs, Vern Luse, Jim Maywar, Kevin McCann, Bob McConnell, Gabriel Medina, Jake Mintz, Bob Mitchell, Rod Nelson, Ray Nemec, Marc Okkonen, Terry O’Neill, Joe Overfield, John Pardon, Frank Phelps, Bill Plott, Jacob Pomrenke, Jim Price, David Rader, Eves Raja, Manny Randhawa, Tim Rask, Bob Richardson, Owen Ricker, Pat Rock, Willie Runquist, Steve St. Martin, Kevin Saldana, Art Schott, John Schwartz, Jim Shearon, Jordan Shusterman, John Spalding, Bill Staples Jr., Tom Strother, Allen Tait, Cecilia Tan, Dick Thompson, Stew Thornley, Bob Tiemann, Chris Trudeau, Alain Usereau, David Vincent, Bill Weiss, Frank Williams, Ralph Winnie, Gene Wood.

Click on a link below to download the PDF file.

Labor

Agreements and Settlements

• 1970 Basic Agreement
• 1976 Basic Agreement
• 1981 Settlement memo
• 1985 Settlement memo
• 1990-93 Basic Agreement
• 1997-2001 Collective Bargaining Agreement
• 1997 MLBPA Benefits plan
• 2002-2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement
• 2005 MLBPA Agents regulations
• 2007-2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement
• 2012-2016 Collective Bargaining Agreement
• 2012-2016 CBA Summary
• 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement
• 2022 Joint Drug Agreement
• 2022-2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement

Labor Lawsuits

• 1882: Allegheny Base Ball Club v. Bennett
• 1894: Baltimore Baseball Club v. Pickett
• 1915: Federal League case files
• 1978: Finley v. Kuhn
• 1996: USA v. Indians
• 2004: Gionfriddo v. MLB

Labor Legislation

• 1997: Curt Flood Act report
  

Executives

• The 12-Year Rain Delay: Why a Change in Leadership Will Benefit the Game of Baseball
• Executive Succession, Organizational Performance, and Charisma

Antitrust

• Celler Hearings, part 1
• Celler Hearings, part 2
• 2002 Antitrust Hearings

Franchise Issues

Franchise Territory and Names

• 1971: Portland Baseball Club v. Kuhn
• 1974: Portland Baseball Club v. Kuhn
• 2005: Anaheim v. Orange County opinion summary
• 2005: Anaheim v. Orange County appeal opinions

2004 Montreal Expos move

• Montreal Expos minority owners complaint, 2000
• Commissioner statement on Expos partners, 2002
• Washington, DC Memo of Understanding, 2002
• Washington, DC Stadium Agreement, 2004
• Anacostia ballpark forecast, 2004
• Washington, DC lease, 2005
• Non-relocation agreement (draft), 2005

Moves and Sales

• 1993: Vincent M. Piazza v. MLB
• 2004: Commissioner memo on Dodgers sale

General Finance

• 2000 Blue Ribbon Report
• 2004: An Economic Evaluation of the Moneyball Hypothesis (Hakes/Sauer)
• 1994-2003 MMAC Milwaukee Brewers Audit
• 2004 Milwaukee Brewers Audit
• 2004 Milwaukee Brewers Limited Scope Review

Media Lawsuits

• 2001: Fox Sports Net Minnesota v. Twins
• 2005: CBC v. MLBAM

Other Lawsuits and Files

• 1912: “The Business of Baseball,” McClure’s
• 1946: League Report
• 2002: Popov v. Hayashi
• 2005-2006: Major League Constitution
• 2006: Astros v. CIGNA
• 2011: SABR Business of Baseball research webinar
• 2024: MLB Report on Pitcher Injuries

Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Drug Hearings

• Report on Investigation Into Rafael Palmeiro’s March 17, 2005 Testimony Before the Committee on Government Reform
• S.1960, 190th Congress; Integrity in Professional Sports Act
• Steroid Hearings, 109th Congress
• Brower testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Slides from Brower testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Bunning testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Canseco testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Davis opening statement, 2005 steroid hearings
• Fehr testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Garibaldi testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Hooton testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Letter from Davis and Waxman to Selig and Fehr regarding 2005 steroid hearings
• McGwire testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Palmeiro testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Pellman testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Schilling testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Selig testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Sosa testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Thomas testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Volkow testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Wadler testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
• Waxman testimony, 2005 steroid hearings

Drug Lawsuits

• 2006: Opposition to quash in BALCO case
  

Drug Memos

• 1991 MLB drug policy memo
• 1997 MLB drug policy memo

19th Century League and Team Resources

• The 19th Century League and Team Resources Project, organized by SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee, aims to collect all available pre-1900 baseball documents and make them available online to future researchers. The collection includes dozens of documents from the National League’s founding in 1876 to the NL’s final season as a sole major league in 1900. It also includes National Agreements for most seasons, American Association Constitutions from 1882 to 1891, early club constitutions and rules dating back to the 1845 Knickerbocker Rules, and more.

Here are the recipients of the Chairman’s Award:

2023

• Sam Gazdziak, for his work overseeing our 19th Century Grave Marker Project Committee.

2022

• Richard “Dixie” Tourangeau, for his years of taking and providing photographs of our annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference in Cooperstown, New York.
• Tom Gilbert for his highly successful coordination of our Brooklyn 19th Century Baseball Interdisciplinary Symposium, conducted virtually due to the pandemic.

2021

• Jim Gates, Librarian Emeritus of the Giamatti Library of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, who served as the Hall of Fame’s “host” of the annual Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Conference in Cooperstown since 2009.

2019

• Bill Nowlin, who oversaw the completion of Part II of our committee’s most recent book project, Base Ball’s 19th Century “Winter” Meetings, 1857-1900.
• Richard Smiley, who assisted Ralph Carhart in organizing and then singlehandedly leading a small contingent of local Chicago baseball fans to the dedication of the grave marker for Bob Caruthers.

2018

• Matt Albertson, who was the key person behind the committee’s Facebook page launch and who also led the effort to have Philadelphia’s Jefferson Street Grounds declared a Pennsylvania Historic Site.
  

2017

• Jeremy Hodges, for his dedicated, professional and sucessful service as Editor-in-Chief of Part One (1858-1875) of the Nineteenth Century Committee’s book project, Baseball’s 19th Century Winter Meetings.

2016

• Bob Gregory, Charter Member, Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends Committee and Charter Chair, 19th Century Grave Marker Project

2015

• Ralph Carhart, for critical support of Negro Leagues Committee Grave Marker Project dedication for Hall of Famer Sol White
• Don Jensen, organizer/leader, Madison Square District Walking Tour, NYC 19cBB Interdisciplinary Symposium
• John Zinn, co-organizer and co-host (Origins Committee), NYC 19cBB Interdisciplinary Symposium

2014

• Adam Darowski, Chairman, Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends Committee
• Jim Overmyer, for providing critical logistic support to Frederick Ivor-Campbell 19th Century Base Ball Conference

2013

• Bill Ryczek, Editor, Pioneer Project, Base Ball Pioneers: 1850-1870
• Marty Tangel, Organizer, 150th Anniversary Remembrance of Jim Creighton‘s death
• Joanne Hulbert, recovery of Nineteenth Century Committee’s American Association History Project research papers
• Trent McCotter, digitization of American Association History Project research papers

2012

• Bill Felber, Editor, Inventing Baseball: The 100 Greatest Games of the 19th Century
• Peter Morris, Initiator, Editor, Pioneer Project, Base Ball Founders

2011

• Jerry Kuntz, Leader, How to Do 19th Century Baseball Research Project

2010

• Joe Williams, Charter Chair, Overlooked 19th Century Baseball Legends Committee

2009

• Bob Bailey, Vice-Chair, Newsletter Editor and Committee Leadership

All my dreams as a kid are long gone and forgot
But for one I assigned to my heart’s deepest spot
Then consigned to my team to fulfill so they’ve got
To now find baseball’s end-of-the-rainbow gold pot

Filled with World Series rings now in reach once we got
Enough offseason upgrades while rivals could not
Sway opinions nor forecasts of experts who spot
A consensus that pegs us the best of the lot

And a new name slides into our manager’s slot
An old name from the past who fans haven’t forgot
Will maintain “old school” baseball fits any time slot
Then complain sabermetrics statistics do not

Who throws tantrums and bases and hats and whatnot
As he’s still kicking dirt on the umps when red-hot
But his shtick can get thick and if their skins are not
Umps may settle a score once revenge picks its spot

While his critics encounter his slick counterplot
Selling round-the-clock access and scoops, but they’ve got
To play ball and now lob softball questions a lot
While they publish puff pieces that won’t stir the pot

Now as spring training ends, it might seem we did not
Know these games never count toward a postseason spot
When the wins wouldn’t stop nor the props they begot
As some meaningless games, sometimes mean quite a lot

So in April, I may say October will not
Find my team at their favorite vacation hotspot
Busy winning The Show’s biggest prize then cannot
Help but share with their fans a World Series jackpot

But a rival I nicknamed “The Bums” have no shot
Always tied to last place still untying the knot
For when spring turns to summer, they fade from eyeshot
Then cheer, “Wait’ll next year!” every year on the dot

And the ghosts of past seasons haunt fans so they’ve got
To now cook up a curse for their cover-up plot
Then insisting it’s true gets your goat and why not
Since it might be, it could be, it is frickin’ not

Plus these years are awash with the wisecracks they got
With the latest, “The Gashouse Gorillas we’re not”
And “The game’s greatest name would have signed, but could not
Cuz the bucks to sign Bugs made us go over slot”

Meanwhile, long power blackouts in each lineup spot
Call for base hits in bunches from batters who’ve got
Swings now best known for breezes though fans become hot
With hits gone with the wind from their signature swat

And their staff fires fastballs like scattered buckshot
Sparking flashbacks of Nuke for those fans who cannot
Forget “Meat” bringing heat drilling Durham’s mascot
As demand for box seats near home plate ain’t so hot

No doubt players fear losing their old roster spot
Stoking fears some careers end at Sears then they got
All awarded first dibs on their old roster spot
Then retrace their last trip to some Triple A lot

Still, those old Bill Veeck tricks help attendance, but not
Without discounted seats plus a free parking spot
While your overpriced beer bags a free dog or brat
But short autograph lines will remain a sore spot

Yet their players stay gracious and always will jot
Down their John Hancock freely although it is not
In demand by adults, but the ones that kids got
Left both parties with smiles the whole ballpark could spot

Which produced a kind thought I surprisingly got
Blending Whitman and Lip in my own melting pot
I see great things in baseball, but one thing is not
When nice guys finish last like The Bums who should not

As our outlooks could flip-flop as teams change a lot
Due to rookies, free agents, big trades, and whatnot
In fact, history shows the impossible’s not
Then replayed on TV so it’s never forgot

Recall Bobby was first when the world heard his shot
Next, those Miracle Mets got amazin’ly hot
And Hank’s seven fifteenth beat the Babe by a shot
Then Kirk limped off a walk-off World Series moonshot

Yet all this notwithstanding, the standings will not
Place The Bums in first place with last place as our spot
Since this season can’t end with this flip-flopping plot
Unless hell’s packed in snow, but at last check it’s hot

Now I’m told I should visit their minor league lot
And their talented kids they had somehow begot
Now dubbed “toolsheds of talent” by scouts on the spot
And atop every prospect list baseball has got

Seems their recent June drafts always hit a jackpot
Striking gold every year from their number one slot
Then found late hidden gems other clubs couldn’t spot
Plus their top international kids are red-hot

And their spirit evokes a rambunctious time slot
When the paychecks were small, but the paybacks were not
And The Bums’ type of payback lasts years once they got
To give toolsheds of talent their major league shot

So these kids made the Show, then took off like a shot
And there’s no way to measure the joy fans have got
Though a Mudville fan warns, “There’s no joy when you’ve got
Your last hope striking out when you’re sure he would not”

But then twenty straight wins stun their fans, yet should not
After Vin waxed poetic just why they’re so hot
“Winning streaks need good fortune, but never a lot
When your roster has riches your rivals do not”

Now the cold truth comes out leaving fans hot to trot
Out their fairy-tale dreams of postseason Camelot
Because snowplows at work clearing hell’s parking lot
Place The Bums in first place with last place as our spot

Our obituary starts with our skipper a tot
Reading John McGraw’s book with its “small ball” subplot
Plus a ground rule for skippers he never forgot
“Let your gut form your strategies right on the spot”

Although “small ball” was big when the “dead ball” was hot
Posting big crooked numbers was quite the long shot
But our profile has changed since Capone’s first mug shot
As live balls mean more runs as more balls leave the lot

But when challenged, he constantly swears he will not
Change his mind nor his methods when put on the spot
By a new school of thought teaching skippers should not
Follow flawed “old school” rules whether written or not

After trashing this “new school” in print, he cannot
Stop from stating the obvious Bill James will not
Recommend his new book, Sabermetrics Boycott:
When Bill James And His Statheads Compute — They Do Not

So he never updates his old, outdated plot
Never counting on pitch counts though starters are shot
And then losing late leads frosts my butt when he’s got
His hot closer on ice till his ninth-inning spot

While the whole bullpen waits for a high-leverage spot
As they all have appeared in the same game a lot
And they’re always on call with this one caveat
When we hear Dr. Andrews declaring they’re not

Still, his grizzled, old vet gets his cortisone shot
While his great, gritty grinders don’t offer a lot
But he’s blind and now deaf to the problems he’s got
Grinders stuck in first gear, and his grizzly is shot

Then wastes 2-and-1 counts in this hit-and-run spot
When we foul off ball three though fans wish we would not
Trade a 3-and-1 count for a 2-and-2 spot
Since a 3-and-1 count grabs the catbird-seat spot

Yet he claims working counts is the best plan we’ve got
Once this patient approach sees a sweet pitch to swat
So selective at-bats are expected, but not
When his paradox finds the next hit-and-run spot

And he lavishly donates our outs when he’s got
Facts that sacrifice bunts, in fact, suck quite a lot
As they don’t ensure runs only outs more than not
And hurt odds of big innings per research he’s got

Also, winners score more in one inning a lot
More than losers will notch in all nine that they’ve got
So his sacrifice bunts put the team in a spot
When we score that one run that by game’s end means squat

While his first-inning bunts seal his last resting spot
When I sacrifice him in the team parking lot
As the Lord sends me down, I foresee my hot spot
Satan taunts me with bunts then laughs, “Why the hell not!”

Plus we go through the motions like any robot
Raising X-rated rants from our skipper who’s got
To resort to fake rage when told scaring the snot
Out of all lollygaggers would spark this sad lot

Soon we’re left hailing Mary for the last playoff spot
Although football’s her thing come the final gunshot
But that curse did its thing concludes every crackpot
As, alas, Mary passed on our postseason spot

And it’s going, going, gone! Oh doctor! I cannot
Still believe my dream died in our league’s basement spot
Holy cow! My oh my! This whole year’s gone to pot
Forget it! She is gone! I have tried, but cannot

Since subtracting this grief from my days means I’ve got
To stop nightmares dividing up nights in my cot
Though each win adds to hopes of a postseason spot
Each loss multiplies nightmares which sums up my spot

So my team was a myth like that Doubleday plot
As both double-crossed fans, first when Spalding would not
Concede baseball evolved, then commissioned a spot
For its ill-conceived birth at some Cooperstown lot

Now this year must be kissed off so sanity’s not
As the thought of sound sleep every night hits the spot
But next year is in line for this kiss since we’ve got
Experts sure we’ve no shot and fans don’t ask, “Why not?”

To escape, I return to my time as a tot
When my Field of Dreams was a Little League lot
Where I’d swing like a star knowing moonbeams would not
Allow ball games to end till my walk-off moonshot

Although games had to end when we’d angrily spot
Moms were waving us home because dinner was hot
Then in bed, I would count all the dingers I got
And the pats on the back after each mighty swat

Once asleep, baseball dreams soon arrived at my cot
With my Cooperstown speech for my Hall of Fame slot
And when Mom and Pop cheered through their tears I could not
Wait to tell the whole world what great parents I’ve got

Back at school, the kids praised me so much I could not
Keep my ego in check since I heard this a lot
“You’re the best home-run slugger our school ever got”
Plus “The Yankees will have a new Sultan of Swat”

While their dads said I conjured up memories they’ve got
Of our two greatest stars from a bygone time slot
So I copied their styles as fans quickly spot
Say Hey Kid’s basket catch and The Mick’s home-run trot

But when moved up a notch, I found out I could not
Hit a pitch that would curve nor hear cheers I once got
Soon a baseball career was ruled out though I’ve got
Memories ready with replays I ruled the sandlot

Now my memory lane gets congested a lot
As the trips have increased, though my pleasure does not
And returning to earth is the reason why not
One-way tickets aren’t sold to my Little League lot

But my team can’t escape the rebuilding they’ve got
With fans’ endless impatience the likely upshot
Whose support can turn quickly when turnstiles do not
Count these fans passing through till hard times are forgot

And these fans will decree that the GM cannot
Pick the duds only studs from the free agent pot
Then great trades and strong drafts must ensue though we’ll spot
The same fault-finding pessimists stirring the pot

While our most disturbed fans hit the Web when they’re hot
Posting crap in all caps in large fonts plus they’ve got
Exclamation points handy in case you can’t spot
What it takes to turn into an online crackpot

Soon the pundits take aim with their daily potshot
Plus predictions produced by a dart or slingshot
With a game plan for fame that’s so easy to spot
“Always hype all your hits, while your outs are forgot”

Next, our U-turn should turn to the manager’s slot
But no “by ‘The Book’ guys” we recycle a lot
Just promote sabermetrics since “old school” will not
Waive the out-of-date views its curriculum’s got

As the thought of this hunt leaves me thinking why not
Snare a skipper like Earl with the bait “three-run shot”
But when “small ball” pinch hits in a late-inning spot
I will toast “old school” ball with a beer and a shot

And all scouting departments should know they cannot
Skip the “old school” eye test thinking laptops can spot
All the players from high school and college who’ve got
Future big-league careers versus those who do not

Though each algorithm helps, analytics cannot
Singlehandedly find every future hotshot
So a draft room must blend all the data they’ve got
With opinions from scouts still more “old school” than not

Then these scouts prove their worth when a key lineup spot
Now belongs to that prospect they touted a lot
As the “old school” eye test shows the vision it’s got
When it lands that big fish, sabermetrics could not

Once again, Yogi’s dèjá vu’s right on the dot
With our owner’s same speech in its annual slot
Claiming chasing our dream exhausts all cash he’s got
And will trigger price hikes is his loud parting shot

Forcing fans to unload their most logical shot
“So the season went south, but your prices will not!”
Then his tweet will repeat to compete costs a lot
So when prices head north, it’s the one choice he’s got

Feeling used and abused, a sarcastic fan shot
Free advice to the boss on his tapped-out team pot
“Simply do what you’re doing just do it a lot
Since extorting more fans will replenish your pot”

While incredulous fans launch a personal shot
“His financial state rocks, yet he states he does not
Have the coin to support the big dream fans have got
And for him it’s small change” — though a small change it’s not

As his feelings have always been easy to spot
Only wallets hold value so fans just do not
Factor into decisions which sums up our spot
That the bottom line rules over fans he forgot

‘Twas the night before Christmas when fans finally got
Season-ticket renewals as jaws dropped a lot
While our Scrooge sent his best in a Christmas screenshot
“Have your best Christmas ever just sign by the dot”

So these eye-popping prices turn fans piping hot
But our owner still begs from his ninety-foot yacht
Then he’ll rummage for reasons why next year will not
See the same garbage team that just stunk up the lot

Like his quote that turned over The Bard in his plot
“The fault lies in our stars, not ourselves, for our spot”
As he never did take the advice he once got
“When you look to lay blame give your mirror a shot”

But The Bums can’t be blamed for reflections they’ve got
Of soon spraying champagne in that classic snapshot
Cuz they swept the first round, then on Hinson’s moonshot
Their first pennant was won on her ninth-inning swat

That’s when Russ just went nuts as the ball left the lot
“It’s gonna be I believe . . . Dottie’s ‘round-the-world shot!”
So this fairy-tale team clinched a World Series spot
With a glass slipper waiting that fits or may not

At the Fall Classic Ball, Cinderella looks hot
Winning Games One, Two, Three and each one by a lot
So The Bums seem a shoo-in for baseball’s top spot
With their dream soon achieved unlike mine that was not

But a World Series dream never dies if you’ve got
That undying devotion that simply will not
Let a dream of a ring to die out so you slot
A new dream in your heart, though it’s technically not

Still, our dreams blur the truth when it’s clear they cannot
Play out Us vs. Them and give Them a fair shot
Since our rose-colored glasses include a blind spot
With reality benched while delusion is not

Though our hearts use these glasses, our brains just cannot
Turn a blind eye to flaws nor to strengths teams have got
So hearts bypass our brains so good judgment will not
See right through these rose specs with the built-in blind spot

With these bypasses scheduled by fans who do not
Have a fair point of view since their vision has got
This big tunnel of love for their team as they spot
More than one trophy case for their great juggernaut

And this starts as a kid when asleep in your cot
Your team wins every game, but awake they cannot
As you learn Giamatti’s stance can’t be forgot
That the game is designed to break hearts more than not

As the heartbreak gets worse when that heartbreaking spot
Turns your cheers into tears on a walk-off moonshot
Then you’re left with no words, but the winners are not
“There’s no crying in baseball” is such a cheap shot

Plus the heartache can’t stop when your heart’s in a knot
From replaying each loss every chance that you’ve got
Though we’re totally cool with our team when they’re hot
Flipping out when they’re not shows the flip side we’ve got

Because passion and pride turn emotions red-hot
As hearts bleed for their teams unaware they should clot
Then your hope is built up, but despair lets it rot
When your Casey strikes out the one dream that you’ve got

Now the truth comes to light in a dark parking lot
When our Deep Throat leaks news that a clubhouse subplot
Put the nix on all hopes of a postseason spot
Leaving players resigned to the fate they’ve now got

Seems some guys shunned advice a good teammate would not
“For the good of the team” that guides each roster spot
Proving Lou’s selfless words couldn’t find a soft spot
In hearts aching to break every team rule we’ve got

Once this story hits print, our fans frankly cannot
Understand the perspective these screwballs have got
Still reprising their night games of booze, babes, and pot
That will make tabloid news with their front-page headshot

Nor could teammates believe between plays they would spot
AWOLs’ ninth-inning race to the team parking lot
Then next day, they roll in with eyes badly bloodshot
Cuz they played extra innings at a local nightspot

Joined by pros who propose a quick “red-hot foxtrot”
But when caught more than dancing, cops nab the whole lot
Then, in tears, they announce they’re reformed and have got
A new outlook on life from their latest mug shot

And these smooth-talkin’ schmoozers will claim they’ve still got
The same view that the team must come first, but forgot
That their selfish demands heard by all in earshot
Prove their views, like their schmooze, are more BS than not

Seems their downfall began with the big bucks they got
As desire soon left as they slowed to a trot
And though teammates repeatedly warned them to not
Forget stakes have been raised, they kept shorting the pot

But in past years, the owners were shorting the pot
In the sense they suppressed players’ wages, but not
Before players are locked up and bound to one spot
Then sign take-it-or-leave-it cheap contracts they got

Which meant offseasons working odd jobs and whatnot
When their light bulbs went on and well worth every watt
Now aware they’re the stars and the owners are not
They demand their fair share of the revenue pot

Or else talks quickly end with a players’ boycott
As advised by their union as somehow they got
The best possible man for their top union spot
Then this Marvin J. Miller transformed their sad lot

When his bargaining skills won concessions that got
The best benefits any sports league ever got
As the owners broke ranks, but the players did not
All united as one behind Marvin’s boycott

So the owners despised him and simply would not
Ever rightfully vote him his Cooperstown slot
Then in two thousand nineteen, twelve voters would not
Deny Marvin’s long overdue Hall of Fame spot

But uniting my team was the longest long shot
When guys march to their drumbeat and every nightspot
Then informed to conform, they confess they cannot
Then contend our concerns are contrived when they’re not

So like fans, they can see that they need a blind spot
To ignore facts that challenge this mindset they’ve got
That they all know it all, yet they somehow forgot
That it’s what you learn later lets you know you knew squat

Still, they’re not the worst reprobates baseball’s begot
Since our first power brokers can’t lose that top spot
Due to outright collusion that flat out would not
Give their players a choice nor Black players their shot

With their bias and greed came a sinister plot
That tied up players’ rights that took years to unknot
And though wrongs have been righted, the fallout cannot
With their concept of fairness, a permanent blot

Like their clause that reserved hired help to one spot
With just white men in play since due process was not
And though some are revered for their Hall of Fame spot
Basic rights disappeared in their prejudiced plot

Then the gavel was passed on to Happy who got
To help justice win out since Judge Landis would not
And when Rickey untied baseball’s tight racial knot
Our great game would branch out as race barriers rot

First was Jackie, then Willie, then Henry who got
Their big chance, then the slurs, then a Cooperstown spot
Yet their greatest home runs never did leave the lot
As their courage and class shaped a landmark time slot

Now our game has to live with this bigotry blot
That killed showdowns to die for we dream on a lot
Dizzy Dean and Josh Gibson . . . Satchel Paige and Mel Ott
And it’s so black and white . . . the worst shame the game’s got

While the shame on my team rests with those who would not
Give just one second thought to that number one spot
Nor to turning fans’ dreams into nightmares that got
Retroactively dubbed their farewell parting shot

Seems the boss saw enough of this lackluster lot
And their Guccis and Rolex and latest sexpot
So he panned their bad play, then with one final shot
Would dismiss them as ”bums” having no roster spot

They were holding my dream . . . now I see they could not
Through new crystal clear glasses without a blind spot
With delusion now benched means reality’s not
As The Bums spray champagne in that classic snapshot

So the glass slipper fits with the crown that they got
To parade after Game 4 cuz Game 5 meant squat
Once a longstanding loser, now treasured long shot
Teams will copy their map to find X marks the spot

And their play receives raves only Shakespeare has got
But no pound of flesh due with past insults forgot
As I now can distinguish my bums on the spot
Those who act with such class and a class that does not

When The Bums hold their trophy, the two thoughts I’ve got
They are holding my dream . . . good at nicknames I’m not
As my team holds the title to their new basement spot
That includes a free downgrade from have to have-not

Then frustration returns now insisting I’ve got
To abandon my team knowing well I would not
For I do know the score even when I’m quite hot
You don’t leave your first love you engaged as a tot

Still, I find that my mind can’t conceive nor allot
Any hope for next year with a postseason spot
But my heart has a mind of its own and cannot
Help but mindlessly dream of that number one spot

So my own Armageddon has me tied in this knot
“Can my team hold my dream if I think they cannot?”
But, in time, I recall Mom’s advice I’d forgot
That makes everything clear and hits home like a shot

“When your mind thinks your dream is more hopeless than not
When your heart wants that end-of-the-rainbow gold pot
Always follow your heart and this can’t be forgot” . . .
Yes, my team holds my dream — until death do us part!

JOHN JAKICIC was born April 23, 1950, in Chicago, a White Sox fan and retired banker at Bank of America. Married 38 years (Christine) and going along happily. Previous writing experience—absolutely none. Greatest accomplishment—Pee Wee League Batting Champ in second grade, then found out I couldn’t hit anything that curved. Saddest childhood moment—listening to a White Sox game on the radio in 1958 when Billy Pierce, my favorite White Sox player, lost a perfect game with one out to go versus the Washington Senators. Years later, I immediately understood what Bart Giamatti meant when he wrote that the game is designed to break your heart … with help from Ed Fitz Gerald. Note: Billy Pierce is the reason that the last line of my story “My Bums Holding My Dream” doesn’t rhyme. Since Billy Pierce was one out away from a perfect game, I thought it fitting that I should be one line away from my own “perfect game” — rhyming every line.

SABR Historical Minor League Statistics

Mission statement

As part of SABR’s mission to preserve and disseminate materials relating to the history of baseball, researchers have undertaken a community project to document the statistical history of professional baseball. The core focus of the project is to compile statistics for each league-season, using the best information available. Each season’s statistics are critically examined before publication, and known errors and omissions from Guides and other sources are corrected.

Data coverage and sources

The project uses the league-season (one full season of one league) as the basic unit of statistical compilation. Leagues are scheduled for compilation in reverse chronological order. The current focus of new input and evaluation is the 1989 season.

Once in electronic form, we review all statistics for errors, both in transcription and in balance. We check whether team statistics are the sum of its players’, and whether totals such as runs, hits, and so forth balance between batters and pitchers. This process ensures data quality, and also often catches errors in published totals. This process is also labor-intensive, which means it takes a while for a season to achieve quality certification in the database. We appreciate your patience in allowing us to bring you a quality resource.

We use the best information available in compiling statistics for a league. Official league statistics and tabulations published in major guides are used for most leagues. We also build on research done by SABR members and others in correcting and extending those publications.

Information from other sources

For leagues for which full statistics have not been compiled and vetted in electronic format, we offer selected statistics for players based on a database compiled by Ed Washuta and donated to SABR in 2007. Due to the sheer size of the task, we regret that changes to the Washuta data, including statistical errors and the addition of statistics for unlisted players, will only made in the case of extreme and egregious errors.

Is the database available in (MySQL, CSV, etc.) format?

The statistical history of minor league baseball is very poorly documented. We view most of the statistics we currently display as being provisional, and we anticipate this will be the case for some time. We believe it is unwise to release downloadable datasets which are immature and have not been cross-checked for quality. It is our plan to offer downloads of a full year’s worth of statistics (for all leagues) once all leagues in that year have completed the proofing process.

We are able to offer to run specific queries against the dataset for research projects. This service is available to all SABR members free of charge. Please contact Sean Lahman for information on custom querying of the database.

How can I help?

The development of the database is powered entirely by volunteer effort. With a goal of providing statistics for over 4,000 league seasons, volunteers are needed to compile, cross-check, verify, and fill in gaps in statistics. Much of the work involved is data entry and validation. If you’re a SABR member, you can inquire about volunteering by contacting Sean Lahman.

Harry Duffield Stowe was born December 20, 1856 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Stowe (or Stow by other accounts) supposedly changed his name to Stovey so his mother wouldn’t read his name in newspapers since she didn’t like him playing ball. He began his ballplaying career as a pitcher with the Defiance Club of Philadelphia in 1877 before playing with the Philadelphia Athletics later that same year (both teams played in the League Alliance). He spent the next two seasons playing minor league ball for the New Bedford Clam-Eaters under the managing vagabond, Frank Bancroft. Stovey took a liking to New Bedford and a young lady named Mary Walker that he would marry in 1879.

In 1880, Bancroft joined the National League as manager of the Worcester Ruby Legs and took Stovey along with him. Stovey made his major league debut on May 1, 1880, and played with the Worcester club during the rest of its existence through the 1882 season. The Ruby Legs were not a very good team, winning only 36 percent of their games in three NL seasons. Despite playing for poor teams, Stovey developed into one of the most exciting players in the game. Now a first baseman and outfielder, he led the NL in triples (14), home runs (6) and extra-base hits (41), and finished second in runs (76) and total bases (161) as a rookie.

After Worcester disbanded, Stovey joined the Philadelphia-based Athletics of the American Association and became the game’s premier base runner and power hitter. The 26-year-old Stovey led the team to the AA championship in 1883, while leading the league in multiple offensive categories, including runs, home runs, slugging percentage and total bases. According to his obituary in The Sporting News, he single-handedly sealed the championship for the Athletics when he took control of the final game of the season against Louisville when, in the 10th inning, he singled, stole second, went to third on an infield out and scored on a wild pitch thrown by pitcher Guy Hecker.

Stovey, who set the single-season home run record with 14 during that championship season in 1883, was considered the best base-stealer in the game. It is said that he was the first to make feet-first sliding popular and invented sliding pads to protect an often bruised left hip. As a fielder, he was said to have had sure hands and a strong accurate arm with great range. Today, Stovey would be called a five-tool player for his all-around game.

Called “Gentleman Harry” for his clean play, the 5-11, 175-pound star would play with the Athletics through the 1889 season. He ended up being the AA’s career leader with 76 homers and 883 runs scored, while placing in the top ten for games, hits, batting average, slugging and total bases. In 1890, he joined the Boston Reds of the Players League. The Reds went on to win the league championship and Stovey led the one-year major league in stolen bases with 97.

In 1891, he returned to the NL to play for the Boston Beaneaters and Hall of Fame manager Frank Selee. The Beaneaters were NL champs that year and Stovey once again played a key role, leading the league in triples, homers, slugging and total bases. His major league career began to wind down the following season, being released by Boston in June 1892. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles for the remainder of the season and played the 1893 season with the Brooklyn Grooms, appearing in his last major league game on July 29, 1893.

When he retired in 1893, he was the all-time major league leader in home runs with 122 and was third on the list as late as 1920. He finished in the top four in home runs ten times, leading the league in five of those seasons. Stovey’s other offensive numbers include 347 doubles, 174 triples, 908 RBI, more than 500 stolen bases (records are not available for six of his seasons, so he may have stolen up to 800 bases) and 1,492 runs in 1,486 games, including nine seasons of 100 or more runs. Besides home runs, he led the league in more than twenty other offensive categories, including extra-base hits five times, runs scored and triples four times, slugging percentage and total bases three times, stolen bases twice and RBI once.

After his time in the majors, Stovey played briefly in the Pennsylvania State League for Allentown under manager Mike “King” Kelly before becoming player-manager for New Bedford of the New England League. In 1895, he joined the New Bedford police force, becoming captain in 1915. He retired in 1923.

Stovey died at his daughter’s house on September 20, 1937, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, at the age of 80 and is buried in the town’s Oak Grove Cemetery. The man who could do it all has been overlooked by the National Baseball Hall of Fame despite calls for his election from many who are familiar with the history of our national pastime. Perhaps one day, he will get his due and be honored by the game’s ultimate shrine.

This article first appeared in the SABR Nineteenth Century Research Committee’s October 2011 newsletter.

Related link: View Harry Stovey’s player page at Baseball-Reference.com

Of Berra’s 1,699 career games at catcher, 173 were shutouts.

Nineteen of Berra’s shutouts, which are not listed below, were with more than one pitcher. All of his shutouts were as a member of the Yankees — he finished his playing career with the Mets in 1965. (Pitchers that had a game started but no shutouts with Berra are not shown.)

(This article first appeared in the Baseball Records Committee’s June 2010 newsletter.)

Related link: Check out Walt Wilson’s Encyclopedia of Baseball Catchers website.

The following list shows the first home runs Mays hit in innings 1-13, and the only one he hit in innings 14-16. (The data comes from SABR’s Home Run Log.)

(This article first appeared in the Baseball Records Committee’s August 2010 newsletter.)

James Laurie “Jim” White was born on December 2, 1847 in the small town of Caton, New York. He grew up with two future major league players, his brother Will and his cousin Elmer.

White stated that he learned to play baseball from a Union soldier returning home from the Civil War in 1865. White, later nicknamed “Deacon” for his virtuous life, calm demeanor and his leadership on the field, was one of baseball’s first superstars. He began his playing career with the Forest City Baseball Club of Cleveland in 1868 while working for McNairy, Claflin & Co. He immediately became their best player, spending most of his time behind the plate as the team’s catcher. He would occasionally pitch and once gained notoriety for shutting out the famed Eckfords of Brooklyn with his controversial wind-up motion.

The Forest City Club joined the National Association in the league’s inaugural season, playing in the league’s first game against the Fort Wayne Kekiongas. In the first inning of that first game, White doubled off Bobby Mathews for the first “major league” hit. Considered to be one of the first catchers to move up under the batter, White was the premier catcher of the 1870s.

Playing without a glove, he caught more games (409) than anyone else during the decade while being one of the game’s most feared hitters. The tall, slender ballplayer had a long reach, soft hands and was often called catlike and energetic behind the plate. As a batter, White won two batting titles (.367 in 1875 and .387 in 1877) and three RBI crowns (1873, 1876 and 1877).

In 1873, White became a member of the Boston Red Stockings that went on to win the championship in 1873, 1874 and 1875. Boston’s famed “Big Four” of Ross Barnes, Cal McVey, Al Spalding and White moved onto the Chicago White Stockings in 1876 and won the first NL pennant. Spalding and “The Cat” were the top battery in the game in those early years of professional baseball, second to none.

In 1877, Harry Wright lured White back to Boston. Playing mostly as a first baseman and outfielder, White, along with Jim O’Rourke and Tommy Bond, led the team to another pennant. From 1878 to 1880, he played for Cincinnati, forming a battery with his brother Will, before joining Buffalo for five seasons. By 1882 he was a regular third baseman and a member of the second famous “Big Four” with Dan Brouthers, Hardy Richardson and Jack Rowe. In 1886, the Buffalo franchise was purchased by the owner of the Wolverines, bringing the “Big Four” to Detroit. In 1887, the Wolverines, with White hitting .303 at the age of 39, won the NL pennant and defeated St. Louis of the American Association to become world champs.

White finished his career with Detroit in 1888, Pittsburgh in 1889 and Buffalo of the Players’ League in 1890. White’s career totals include 1,140 runs, 2,067 hits, 988 RBI, a .312 batting average and just 221 strikeouts. His 162 game average includes 215 hits, 118 runs and 103 RBI.

White died on July 7, 1939 as the oldest living former major leaguer in St. Charles Township, Kane County, Illinois, twenty-five days after the first National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, New York. His final resting place is Restland Cemetery, in Mendota, Illinois. White appeared on the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2009 Veterans Committee ballot for pre-1943 players but failed to gain election, receiving five of the necessary nine votes for election.

Although White has not been elected to the Hall of Fame, he has received high praise from his contemporaries and historians have expressed support for his entry into the National Pastime’s ultimate shrine. Albert Spalding called him the greatest natural catcher he ever saw. Similar comments were made by Henry Chadwick and his onetime batterymate Pud Galvin, among others. In The Bill James Historical Abstract, James named White the most-admirable superstar of the 1870s. Baseball historian Joe Overfield wrote a piece for Baseball Digest in the May 1957 issue entitled “The Men the Hall Forgot.”

In this article, he champions the election of Pud Galvin, Billy Hamilton, Sam Thompson, Roger Connor, Tim Keefe and Deacon White. Only White has not been inducted. Catcher: How the Man Behind the Plate Became an American Folk Hero, by Peter Morris, chronicles the early history of the catcher. White is featured prominently throughout the book and should be a must read for future Veterans Committee voters. In 1986, Jim White did receive some recognition when he was inducted into the Buffalo Baseball Hall of Fame.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the SABR Nineteenth Century Committee’s Fall 2010 newsletter.

The National League got its beginning in 1876. Before that there were associations and touring teams, but very little was standardized for any single level of competition. The years that followed were formative years. Rules were in constant flux. The pitching box was 45 feet from home plate when the league began. Pitchers threw sidearm or underhand. The pitching rules changed throughout the era until settling to the current sixty feet six inches in 1893.

The number of games played in a season also changed throughout this period. Early on, teams played fewer games (80 or so) and gradually moved to 120 or more by then of the century.

Pitching staffs also evolved. Teams had a single dominant pitcher in the 1870s. This produced seasons with the lead pitcher starting 60+ games, and occasionally winning over 40 games while pitching 400–600 innings. These numbers seem unreal but they were a product of the developing era. As teams played more games in a season, they added additional pitchers to their staffs. This allowed the pitching load to be shared by more than one dominant pitcher. By the late 1880s, leading win totals and innings pitched for individual pitchers came down.

Most of the careers in this study showed a normal length to be four years or so. Five years was a long time to pitch for one team. If a pitcher was having an off year, they were often traded, sold, or let go.

The most significant stat of the period was total number of wins. Owners put their lead pitchers out there to help the team win games. If they were not winning, the owner would likely find another pitcher. So being a lead pitcher and keeping your job was half the battle for success, and it was the only way to amass large career win totals.

The evaluation of pitchers in this era involved examining statistics not developed as the players performed. Most of the career ERAs of the listed pitchers were rather close to one another (2.40–3.00). There was some variation in ERA+, so I include that in the pitching evaluation.

Strikeout totals varied. There were seasons when pitchers totaled over 400 Ks in a season. The leading career total for the era was Tim Keefe’s 2,564 Ks. Nobody else topped 2000 until Cy Young was already pitching into the modern era. Most of the best pitchers wound up with 1,600–2,000 strikeouts for their career. Pitchers from earlier years often had fewer career Ks.

Because it was so prevalent to amass innings and wins each season, I looked for careers with over 3,000 innings, and to prove some level of dominance, 30 shutouts. I found 13 pitchers whose careers met these requirements and showed excellence in other categories as well.

Usually, I have presented the 10 top pitchers from each era. But these careers showed no natural cut off at the tenth ranking, the last five or so being very close. They all seemed begging for inclusion based on career significance, quality level, and stamina displayed.

13) Charles Buffinton (1882–1892)
(233–152; ERA 2.96; ERA+ 115; 30 SHO; 3404 IP/3344 H; 1700K/856 BB; 1.234 WHIP)

Buffinton was a leading pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters from 1882-1886. He helped lead them to a pennant in ’83, combining with John Whitney for 62 of the team’s 63 wins that year.

His best year followed in ’84 when he pitched 587 innings, winning 48 games and striking out 417 batters. During this season he struck out 17 batters in one game, and won 13 straight games.

After an off year because of arm trouble in ’86, he was moved to the Philadelphia Quakers. He had five more excellent seasons for the Quakers before jumping to the Philadelphia Athletics of the newly formed Player’s League.

The next year he found work with the Boston Reds of the American Association, and won 29 games, the last of seven 20+ win seasons. He retired during the next season, 1892. Buffinton was known for his sinkerball.

12) Tommy Bond (1874–1884)
(234–163; 2.31 ERA; ERA+ 111; 42 SHO; 3628 IP/3765 H; 972 K/193 BB; 1.093 WHIP)

Tommy Bond was the first pitcher to win the Triple Crown in 1877 (best in wins, ERA, and strikeouts). In his career, he pitched 386 complete games out of 408 starts. His 42 shutouts are fourth from the period. He pitched over 400 innings six seasons, and won 40 games or more three times. His career K/BB ratio of 4.44 ranks first among pitchers throughout baseball history.

11) Will White (1877-1886)
(229–166; 2.28 ERA; ERA+ 120; 36 SHO; 3542 IP/3440 H; 1041 K/496 BB; 1.111 WHIP)

White was the first pitching star of the Cincinnati Reds (’78-’80), and the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association (’82–’86).

He was known for being the first player to wear glasses on the field. He holds the record for most games started (75) and most innings pitched (680) in a season. He won 40 games three times. His ERA+ of 120 and 36 career shutouts show a high quality level of pitching when he took the ball.

10) Amos Rusie (1889–1901)
(246–174; 3.07 ERA; ERA+ 129; 30 SHO; 3778 IP/3389 H; 1950 K/1707 BB; 1.350 WHIP)

He was known as the “Hoosier Thunderbolt” because of how hard he threw. Rusie began his career for the Indianapolis team in 1889 and moved to the New York Giants in 1890. He sat out the 1896 season in a contract dispute with Giants owner Andrew Freedman. Midway through the ’98 season Rusie was hit in the side of the head by a line drive. He lost part of his hearing, and sat out from playing the next two years.

Rusie was a blazing star from ’90–’95. Then he seemed to self-destruct. He won 30 games four straight seasons and 20 games eight times.

His hard-throwing ways led to plenty of strikeouts, leading the league for five straight years. His 1,950 Ks were third in baseball until Cy Young came along. Hidden behind (or not so hidden) his strikeouts were his bases on balls. Rusie led the era in walks and is seventh all-time with 1,707 walks, while his 3,778 innings pitched are 52nd. His WHIP of 1.350 is extremely high for a leading pitcher.

9) Tony Mullane (1881-1894)
(284-220; 3.05 ERA; ERA+ 118; 30 SHO; 4531 IP/4195 H; 1803 K/1408 BB; 1.237 WHIP)

In 1882 Mullane signed with the Louisville Eclipse after a brief appearance with the 1881 Detroit National League squad and started 55 of the team’s 80 games, and posted a record of 30-24 with an ERA of 1.88. This was the first of five 30-win seasons in a row for “The Count.” The following year, he pitched for the St. Louis Browns and won 35 games.

Mullane, who occasionally threw with each arm, was a regular club-hopper. He had regular contract disputes with clubs early in this career and was always prepared to go where the contract was highest. This did not endear him to owners. He pitched for St. Louis, Toledo before a suspension cost him the 1885 season. He settled in to Cincinnati for eight seasons starting in 1886.

8) Jim McCormick (1878-1887)
(265-214; 2.43 ERA; ERA+118; 33 SHO; 4275 IP/4092 H; 1704 K/749 BB; 1.13 WHIP)

He played for the Chicago White Stockings, and helped the team to their last two pennants of the 19th century (’85, ’86). He spent the first part of his career with the Cleveland Blues from ’79–’84. He left the Blues partway through the ’84 season. He bounced around with a Cincinnati team from the Union Association and the Providence Grays before landing in Chicago for the ’85 season. His successful sojourn in Chicago ended with a trade to Pittsburgh after the 1886 season. Chicago appeared to be dropping some of the more fun-loving” members of the squad. McCormick had some prodigious years for Cleveland, pitching over 500 innings five times. He won over 25 games six times. He did a nice job keeping runners off base with his 1.13 WHIP.

7) James “Pud” Galvin (1875-1892)
(365-310; 2.85 ERA; ERA+ 107; 57 SHO; 6003 IP/6405 H; 1807 K/745 BB; 1.19 WHIP)

Galvin was baseball’s first 300-game winner. His 6,003 innings and 646 complete games are second only to Cy Young in the all-time pitching annals.

From ’79–’85 Galvin pitched for the Buffalo Bisons of the National League. In ’85 he was having an off year, (after pitching 656 and 636 innings the previous two years), and was sent to Pittsburgh to finish the year.

By ’87 the Alleghenys became a new franchise in the National League. He continued pitching with them until ’90 when he moved to the Player’s League. He finished his career in 1892 with his old Pittsburgh team. Galvin’s longevity is remarkable and unmatched for his era (pre-60 feet rule change). He won over 25 games in seven different seasons. He is also second in shutouts with 57, the only pitcher before Cy Young to break 50.

Galvin also had his detracting factors. He is second in career losses with 310. He gave up 6,405 hits in his career, allowing well more than a hit per inning.

6) Mickey Welch (1880-1892)
(307-210; 2.71 ERA; ERA+ 114; 41 SHO; 4802 IP/4588 H; 1850 K/1297 BB; 1.225 WHIP)

Welch was the third pitcher to 300 wins. He pitched for 13 seasons, first with the Troy Trojans, and after they folded, with the New York Giants. Welch was very good for a long time. From his first year, he had 10 of 11 winning seasons, including nine times winning over 20 games. Welch threw one of the best curveballs in the era, as well as a change of pace and a screwball.

His best year came in ’85 when he went 44-11 with 345 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.50. At one point that season he won 17 consecutive games. Welch was part of the Giants pennant-winning team efforts in ’88 and ’89.

5) Charles “Old Hoss” Radbourn (1881-1891)
(309-195; 2.67 ERA; ERA+ 119; 4535 IP/4335 H; 1830 K/875 BB; 1.149 WHIP)

Hoss was the lead pitcher for the Providence Grays from ’81–’85. He pitched for the Boston Beaneaters from ’86-’89 and finished his career pitching both in the Player’s League for the Boston Reds and the Cincinnati Reds the following year.

In 1984 he won 59 of his team’s 84 games. This is an all-time record for games won. He also struck out 441 batters that year. His 678.2 IP in a season are second all-time to Will White’s 680.

After some of the rule changes after ’85, Radbourn was never quite as dominant again. His seasons with the Beaneaters were just filling in the rest of his career. He managed one good season in the Player’s League in ’90 when he went 27-12. His year in Cincinnati (’91) was his last.

Radbourn is known mostly for his dominant peak, and his single outstanding year of ’84, one of the best single seasons of the era.

4) John Clarkson (1884-1894)
(328-178; 2.81 ERA; ERA+ 134; 37 SHO; 4536 IP/4295 BB; 1978 K/1191 BB; 1.209 WHIP)

John was discovered by Cap Anson in Michigan in ’84. He finished the ’84 season going 10-3 for the White Stockings. The next year he was a wonder, going 53-16, and teaming up with Jim McCormick to win the pennant. From ’85–’89 he won 209 games. After the ’87 season, Anson became tired of dealing with Clarkson’s temperamental ways, and the White Stockings sold him to the Boston Beaneaters.

Clarkson was known for being a calculating and scientific pitcher, throwing many types of curveballs. He studied hitters to find their weaknesses. At the time of his retirement, he had the most wins in the National League. He was the fourth pitcher to win the pitching Triple Crown. Clarkson was also known as a good hitter. His 24 home runs are still high on the all-time list for pitchers.

3) Tim Keefe (1880-1893)
(342-225; 2.62 ERA; ERA+ 127; 39 SHO; 5049 IP/4912 H; 2564 K/1233 BB; 1.12 WHIP)

Keefe started his career with the Troy Trojans of the National league in 1880. His first year with Troy, he posted an ERA of 0.86. His ERA+ of 294 is a re cord. The next two seasons pitching alongside Mickey Welch were sub-par for Keefe. He left after the team folded and pitched for the New York Metropolitans of the American Association until ’85 when he joined back up with Welch on the New York Giants.

He won the Triple Crown in ’88, and was the first pitcher to have three seasons with over 300 strikeouts. His 2,564 Ks for his career were a record when he retired. His 342 wins, ERA+ of 127 with over 5,000 innings pitched and a sparkling WHIP of 1.12 all point to his ranking here.

2) Kid Nichols (1890-1906)
(361-208; 2.95 ERA; ERA+ 140; 48 SHO; 5056 IP/4912 H; 1873 K/1268 BB; 1.222 WHIP)

Nichols started for the Boston Beaneaters from his rookie season of 1890 all the way through the 1901 season. He was known for his amazing consistency. He won 26 or more games for nine consecutive seasons to begin his career. He won over 30 games seven times. He was the youngest pitcher to win 300 games at age 32 and he helped his team win five pennants.

Nichols represented the next generation of pitchers who had to deal with the change in distance of the mound to the plate. Nichols handled it with no ill effects, going on to his great career. After the 1901 season, he bought part ownership of a team in Kansas City, a minor league team. He pitched and managed for them ’02-’03. Nichols joined the St. Louis Cardinals in 1904 after spending a pair of seasons as the owner and ace of the Kansas City club in the American Association. The old man won 21 games. Nichols win total, ERA+ of 140 spanning 5,000+ innings, and his 48 shutouts all speak to his ranking.

1) Cy Young (1890-1911)
(511–316; 2.63 ERA; ERA+ 138; 76 SHO; 7,356 IP/7,092 H; 2,803 K/1,217 BB; 1.13 WHIP)

Young broke into the major leagues with the expansion Cleveland Spiders in 1890. He quickly established himself as one of the stronger pitchers in the league, leading the league in wins in ’92 and ’95. In ’92 he led his team to the second-half pennant, but lost the Temple Cup to Kid Nichols’ Boston Beaneaters. But in ’95 after winning the pennant again, the Spiders won the Cup.

He experienced some adjustment period to the new rules, see- ing his ERA jump from 1.93 in ’92 to 3.36 after the rules change. Later in his career, he developed and relied on outstanding control rather than the impressive fastball of his youth. Young pitched two years in St. Louis (’99-’00), but jumped to the Boston Americans of the newly formed American league for their inaugural season in 1901. Young stayed with the Boston team, seeing some of his greatest success over the next nine years.

Cy Young holds the record for most career wins (511), most career innings (7,354.2), most games started (815), and most complete games (749). His 76 shutouts are fourth all-time. Young’s roots are in the pre-modern era. He pitched from 55 feet for three years. He deserves credit for his level of performance in the modern era. His ability to adapt and succeed is a testament to his accomplishments.

Conclusions

The pre-modern era deserves its own category for ranking, as the rules and standards were constantly evolving during these years. These pitcher’s careers are gems worth knowing about. The modern baseball fan should understand this era and admire these pitchers, not ignore it and put its stars on a forgotten shelf.

(This article first appeared in the Nineteenth Century Committee’s Fall 2010 newsletter.)