July 4, 1964: Manny Jiménez of A’s becomes first Dominican player with three-homer game in major leagues

Outfielder Manny Jiménez, a Dominican native who reached the major leagues with the Kansas City Athletics in 1962, was not known as a power hitter. He had only one multi-homer game and 16 career home runs in 2½ major-league seasons prior to July 4, 1964.

Yet on Independence Day in Babe Ruth’s hometown, the San Pedro de Macoris-born Jiménez might have been mistaken for Ruth, as he contributed to the evening’s fireworks by slamming three home runs against the Baltimore Orioles and becoming the first-ever Dominican with a three-homer game in the majors.1 Before the A’s and Orioles wrapped up their curfew-halted 6-6 tie, Jiménez was removed late in the game for a defensive replacement, denying his chance for a four-homer game.

The Fourth of July is typically a holiday on which teams draw larger-than-usual crowds, with night games often followed by entertaining fireworks displays. On Independence Day 1964, a pregame, league-approved agreement had been reached that no inning would start after 8:15 PM to allow for the planned fireworks show.2

It turned out the stadium’s impending fireworks spectacle became a deciding factor in the outcome of the game, impacting Jiménez’s personal offensive show in the process.

The largest Memorial Stadium crowd of the year (37,922) came to see the first-place Orioles continue their winning streak of seven games with the last-place Athletics. In its previous homestand, Baltimore had swept the New York Yankees to take over sole possession of first place in the American League. The Orioles now held a four-game lead over the Yankees, while the Athletics were already 19 games behind the Orioles midway through the season. Baltimore was on its way to a franchise-record number of wins (97) in a season.

Orioles manager Hank Bauer tapped 17-year veteran Robin Roberts as his starter. The 37-year-old Roberts had amassed over 260 career wins, primarily with the Philadelphia Phillies, although he was now on the downside of his Hall of Fame career. Journeyman right-hander Moe Drabowsky – later an outstanding reliever for Baltimore – was the starter for the A’s. The 28-year-old had recorded only three wins in his first 11 decisions, including seven consecutive losses at one point.3 He had a major-league-worst 5.55 ERA coming into the game.

The Orioles were led by third baseman Brooks Robinson, who captured the AL MVP Award, and 22-year-old left fielder Boog Powell, who hit a career-high 39 home runs and led the AL in slugging percentage.4

A’s manager Mel McGaha had inherited a weak club (17-35) when he replaced Eddie Lopat less than a month before. Rocky Colavito and former Orioles Jim Gentile and Wayne Causey were the A’s offensive stalwarts.

The A’s wasted no time getting on the scoreboard with a run on three singles off Roberts in the top of the first, starting with leadoff hitter Causey. Left fielder Jiménez, who came into the game batting a paltry .210, followed with a hit to left. Billy Bryan’s hard-hit liner literally took the glove off Orioles second baseman Jerry Adair, scoring Causey.5

The Orioles countered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Bob Johnson’s single and a walk to Powell preceded Norm Siebern’s single that scored Johnson and advanced Powell to third. Third baseman Rick Joseph’s misplay of Robinson’s ground ball allowed Powell to score. Following a groundout by Charley Lau,6 Willie Kirkland’s double scored Siebern. Drabowsky did not make it out of the inning, as McGaha went to José Santiago for the third out.

After a scoreless second inning, left-handed hitter Jiménez led off the third with his sixth home run of the season. His smash struck the cement jutting of the right field stands.

Except for Jimenez’s home run in the third, both Roberts and Santiago faced the minimum number of batters in the third and fourth innings, but the A’s went back ahead in the fifth. Second baseman George Williams doubled with one out. Jiménez homered to deep right for the second time, giving the A’s a 4-3 lead. Roberts allowed a single to Bryan, and reliever Harvey Haddix was summoned to finish the inning.

After having previously walked and singled, Powell evened the score, 4-4, with his 21st home run off Santiago in the bottom of the fifth.

With Dick Hall on the mound for the Orioles in the seventh, Williams led off with his second hit of the game. Jiménez homered for the third time to deep right-center field, putting the A’s back in the lead, 6-4.

Powell led off the bottom of the seventh with a single off Dan Pfister, who had entered the game in the sixth. John Wyatt relieved Pfister and retired Norm Siebern on a groundout to second that advanced Powell to second base. Wyatt gave up a single to John Orsino that scored Powell. In a play that contributed to Jiménez’s missed opportunity to join the small group of players with four homers, the left fielder nearly lost Kirkland’s fly ball, but recovered to catch it for the final out of the inning.7

In the bottom half of the eighth, with a looming time limit on the game, McGaha replaced Jiménez in left field with José Tartabull, who had been used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter, pinch-runner, and defensive replacement. Anticipating the game would be halted after the inning, McGaha figured Tartabull would help ensure the A’s lead with the substitution, since he was considered a more solid defensive player.8

Gino Cimoli, who had been released by the A’s on May 29 (and signed by Baltimore on the same day), pinch-hit for Hall and doubled off Wyatt. He advanced to third on a passed ball. Jackie Brandt’s fly to right was unable to score Cimoli, but Bob Johnson tied the score with a single to right.

Despite the time deadline having been passed by three minutes, the Orioles took the field to start the ninth inning.9 McGaha’s use of Tartabull turned out to be unfortunate for Jiménez, since he would have been the leadoff batter with a chance to hit his fourth home run.

Neither team scored in the ninth, and the game was called so the fireworks show could start. It ended in a 6-6 tie. Under baseball’s rules at that time, the game had to be replayed in its entirety, although individual statistics counted in league records.10

Jiménez nearly had defeated the Orioles by himself. In four plate appearances, his three homers accounted for five RBIs, while he also added a single. McGaha commented about his slumping outfielder, “Timing. He’s finally got it again.”11 Powell led the Orioles with three hits and a walk in five plate appearances.

If Jiménez had hit four home runs, he would have been only the eighth player at the time to accomplish the feat.12 As of 2025, 19 players had homered four times in a game, and 669 players hit three home runs in a game.13

Jiménez’s offensive resurgence was short-lived. He hit only four more home runs and 17 RBIs in the second half of the season while continuing to average .210.14 In reality, there was no confusing him with Babe Ruth. The July 4 game was the highlight of his seven-year major-league career. He hit only seven more home runs in his career that ended in 1969.

Although they were in sole possession of first place as late as September 15, the Orioles were ultimately surpassed by the New York Yankees (by 2 ½ games) and the Chicago White Sox (by one-half game). The Orioles and A’s split six games in September. The losses were costly to the Orioles, who were seeking their first AL pennant since moving from St. Louis in 1954. The A’s finished 42 games behind New York.

Through the 2025 season, there were 51 three-homer games by Dominican-born players in National or American League history, including six by Sammy Sosa and four apiece by Albert Pujols and Aramis Ramírez.

Acknowledgments

This article was fact-checked by Carl Riechers and copy-edited Mike Eisenbath.

Photo credit: Manny Jiménez, Trading Card Database.

Sources

In addition to the sources listed in the Notes, the author consulted Baseball-Reference.com and Retrosheet.org for pertinent information, including the box score and play-by-play.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/BAL/BAL196407040.shtml

https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1964/B07040BAL1964.htm

Elliot, Jim. “A’s Jimenez Raps Three Out of the Park,” Baltimore Sun, July 5, 1964: A1.

Notes

1 Jiménez was only the 10th Dominican ever to play in the American or National League.

2 “Only a Tie Despite Manny’s Bat,” Kansas City Star, July 5, 1964: 1.

3 Drabowsky became one of the Orioles’ most reliable relievers from 1966-1968, when he went 17-9 with 25 saves, 2.14 ERA, 0.958 WHIP and 150 ERA+.

4 Powell later became an all-star first baseman for the Orioles.

5 Ernest Mehl, “Manny Belts 3 in Vain,” Kansas City Star, July 5, 1964: B1.

6 Lau had been traded from the A’s to the Orioles for Wes Stock on June 15.

7 Mehl.

8 While Tartabull may have been favored defensively over Jiménez by McGaha, it is interesting to note both players had committed the same number of errors (eight) during their first three seasons prior to July 4, 1964, In the current 1964 season, Jiménez had committed two errors (in 32 chances), compared to Tartabull’s one error (in 17 chances).

9 Mehl.

10 The tied game was re-scheduled for September 11, as part of a twilight doubleheader. Lou Hatter, “Three-Run Rally Enables A’s to Beat Orioles, 3-1,” Baltimore Sun, July 6, 1964: 17.

11 ”Athletics,” The Sporting News, July 18, 1964: 18.

12 Others included Lou Gehrig (1932), Chuck Klein (1936), Pat Seerey (1948), Gil Hodges (1950), Joe Adcock (1954), Rocky Colavito (1959), and Willie Mays (1961).

13 These numbers include only American League, National League, and Federal League games.

14 As if Jiménez did not have enough misfortune from missing the chance for a fourth homer on July 4, he accidentally shot himself in the right wrist while at home in the Dominican Republic during the offseason. He reportedly was showing a pistol to his brother when the accident occurred. His brother Juan was struck in the chest, and both had to be hospitalized. “A’s Jimenez Hospitalized; Shot Self in Right Wrist,” The Sporting News, November 14, 1964: 22.