Three-Homer Games

Early this year, Dodger outfielder, Trayce Thompson, started the season with a bang as he had a three-homer game. Unfortunately for Trayce, that was pretty much the highlight of his year, and he was traded prior to the deadline back to the White Sox.

The first three-homer game by a Dodger came in 1926 when Jack Fournier against the Cardinals. He drove in 5 runs in a 12-10 Brooklyn loss and he hit all three off of the same pitcher. It would be 1948 before Brooklyn had another player accomplish the feat. Gene Hermanski hit 3 against the Cubs at Ebbett’s Field in a Dodger win.

In 1950, four Dodgers would have 3 homer games. Snider, Campanella, Hodges and Tommy Brown. Hodges actually hit four homers that day in 1950. Browns came in a loss against the Cubs. Campy hit his against the Reds and Snider against the Phillies during a doubleheader sweep.

Snider would do it again in 1955 and he was the last Brooklyn Dodger to accomplish the feat. So, over their long history in Brooklyn, they had 7 three-homer games from players. Johnny Mize had six in his career. Mookie also has six. Don Demeter was the first LA Dodger to do it on April 21st, 1959.

After Demeter, no Dodger connected for three in a game until 1974 when Jimmy Wynn and Davey Lopes had 3 homer games. Most of the big boppers of the day had multiple games like that Willie Stargell, Mays, McCovey, Banks, Mantle. But the Dodgers just never seemed to have those kinds of sluggers, and really had not had any since Brooklyn.

Dave Kingman would end up with 5 of those games. We all know how Tommy felt about Kingman’s 3 homer game against the Dodgers! One of the best of many of Tommy’s rants. 20 years passed before Dodger 1st baseman that day, Cory Snyder, hit 3 in April of 1994. It was a 19-2 shellacking of the Pirates. Snyder also drove in 7 runs.

Mike Piazza did it in 96, and the next time it happened was in April of 2000 when Kevin Elster did it. I had forgotten he even played for the Dodgers! Probably because he was in his final year in the majors, and he did little to help the Dodger cause.

The next two times it happened, 2001 and 2002, the same player did it. Shawn Green had a 3-homer game in 2001 and then in 2002 he one upped himself and hit 4 in Milwaukee. The second Dodger to do that. He Sop Choi had one in 2005 and Captain Clutch, Andre Ethier did it in 2009.

Adrian Gonzalez would have 2 games for the Dodgers with three homers, first came in 2015 and he second came in 2016 when Corey Seager and Yasmani Grandal also had three homer games. Gonzalez joined Green, and Snider as the only Dodgers doing it more than once. Seager joined that group in 2017 with his second. Next up was Yasiel Puig in 2018.

Justin Turner and AJ Pollock accomplished the feat in 2019. Then during the 2020 season, new Dodger, Mookie Betts blasted three against the Padres. That was the last time it happened until Trayce did it in April.

Post Season three-homer games are rare. It has happened only 12 times in MLB history. The last to do that was Chris Taylor against the Braves in the 2021 NLCS. Babe Ruth is the only player to do it more than once. We all know about Reggie Jackson’s three-homer game. Came against LA in the 77 series. In 71, Bob Robertson of the Pirates hit three in the NLCS. He also added a double becoming so far the only player to have four extra-base hits in a postseason game.

Others accomplishing the feat, George Brett, Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols, Adam Kennedy, who was batting 9th that game for the Angels, Pablo Sandoval, Jose Altuve and Kike Hernandez who hit three in the NLCS clinching game in 2017.

If Mookie can do it again, he will sit on top of the heap with 7. Mookie is tied with Johnny Mize and Sammy Sosa. It took Mize 1884 games, Sosa 2364, and Mookie did it in 813. The way Mookie’s power stroke has evolved he could very well do it again and soon. He has already had four two-homer games in 23.