Why Gennett's unlikely performance may have been the best of all time
When it's all said and done, Scooter Gennett's probably going to brag to his grandkids about having pulled off the same feats as Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson, not Pat Seerey and Norm Zauchin.
After Tuesday night, however, the light-hitting Cincinnati Reds utility man stands forever with all four of those names and several more - immortals and head-scratchers alike - in baseball history, thanks to his historic four-homer, 10-RBI contest against the St. Louis Cardinals.
There are so many feats and moments to siphon through following the 27-year-old's record night, so let's gather them all in one place, beginning with the most amazing feat: becoming just the 17th player in baseball history to hit four home runs in a single game.
Make room in those record books for @SGennett2. pic.twitter.com/GLYszQVd88
— MLB (@MLB) June 7, 2017
Here's the full list of four-homer games, including Gennett:
| Date | Player | Team | PA | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/30/1894 | Bobby Lowe | Beaneaters | N/A | 4 | N/A |
| 7/13/1896 | Ed Delahanty* | Phillies | N/A | 4 | N/A |
| 6/3/1932 | Lou Gehrig* | Yankees | 6 | 4 | 6 |
| 7/10/1936 | Chuck Klein* | Phillies | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| 7/18/1948 (G1) | Pat Seerey | White Sox | 7 | 4 | 7 |
| 8/31/1950 | Gil Hodges | Dodgers | 6 | 4 | 9 |
| 7/31/1954 | Joe Adcock | Braves | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| 6/10/1959 | Rocky Colavito | Indians | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| 4/30/1961 | Willie Mays* | Giants | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| 4/17/1976 | Mike Schmidt* | Phillies | 6 | 4 | 8 |
| 7/6/1986 | Bob Horner | Braves | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| 9/7/1993 (G2) | Mark Whiten | Cardinals | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 5/2/2002 | Mike Cameron | Mariners | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| 5/23/2002 | Shawn Green | Dodgers | 6 | 4 | 7 |
| 9/25/2003 | Carlos Deladgo | Blue Jays | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 5/8/2012 | Josh Hamilton | Rangers | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| 6/6/2017 | Scooter Gennett | Reds | 5 | 4 | 10 |
(* indicates Hall of Famer)
The first thing to note is that only two players - Gennett and Whiten - hit four homers and drove in 10 or more runs. Impressive. Though, there's another even crazier connection between Gennett and Whiten: They're the only players to blast grand slams in their four-homer contests, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Some other notable four-homer moments came from Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty and ex-Dodger Shawn Green. Delahanty's took place in a losing effort in 1896, while two of his blasts were of the inside-the-park variety. Green's four homers were part of one of the greatest individual performances ever; he finished 6-for-6 with four bombs and set a single-game record with 18 total bases in 2002.
A four-homer game is an even rarer occurrence than a perfect game. Since 1876, there have been just 17 such events, compared to 23 perfectos. Chew on that one for a moment.
Though Gennett is a utility man who was claimed off waivers in spring training, he's hardly the most anonymous name on this list. Pat Seerey was in his sixth of seven big-league seasons when he hit four homers in the same game for the White Sox; he would go on to play just 59 more MLB contests following his historic performance.
Seerey finished his career with 86 home runs, now the third-lowest total among those who've hit four in a game, trailing only Lowe - the 19th-century star who hit four of his 71 career dingers on that fateful 1894 day in Boston - and, you guessed it, Scooter Gennett.
In the 10-RBI category, Gennett jumped into even more exclusive territory. Here's a look at who else is in that club:
| Date | Player | Team | RBIs | Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/16/1924 | Jim Bottomley* | Cardinals | 12** | 6 |
| 5/24/1936 | Tony Lazzeri* | Yankees | 11 | 4 |
| 4/30/1944 (G1) | Phil Weintraub | Giants | 11 | 4 |
| 7/27/1946 | Rudy York | Red Sox | 10 | 3 |
| 7/6/1949 | Walker Cooper | Reds | 10 | 6 |
| 5/27/1955 | Norm Zauchin | Red Sox | 10 | 4 |
| 6/14/1969 | Reggie Jackson* | Athletics | 10 | 5 |
| 6/18/1975 | Fred Lynn | Red Sox | 10 | 5 |
| 9/7/1993 (G2) | Mark Whiten | Cardinals | 12** | 4 |
| 5/10/1999 | Nomar Garciaparra | Red Sox | 10 | 3 |
| 4/26/2005 | Alex Rodriguez | Yankees | 10 | 4 |
| 8/21/2007 | Garret Anderson | Angels | 10 | 4 |
| 4/30/2017 | Anthony Rendon | Nationals | 10 | 6 |
| 6/6/2017 | Scooter Gennett | Reds | 10 | 5 |
(** indicates MLB record)
Amazingly, 10 RBIs is not the major-league record. Two players - Whiten and Hall of Famer Jim Bottomley - knocked in 12 runs, while Tony Lazzeri and the immortal Phil Weintraub both had 11 in a game.
There are a few more recognizable names on this list, probably because there have been quite a few more 10-RBI games in the modern era - including two this year. Still, Gennett is again among the most anonymous names here, joining the likes of Weintraub, former Reds catcher Walker Cooper, and Norm Zauchin - who knocked in 10 during his only season playing more than 100 games.
Another interesting thing to note here is that Gennett's 10-RBI performance is just the sixth by a National League hitter. For whatever reason, the majority of these games have been accomplished by AL batters, with several of those coming in the designated-hitter era.
Combined with his homers, Gennett's first-inning RBI single added to his historic night, as he became the only person ever to record a four-home run, 10-RBI, five-hit game. Whiten only had four hits - all homers - in his historic game, and actually recorded an out.
When it's all added up, it can now be argued that Scooter Gennett - the March waiver claim who came into Tuesday's contest with 38 career home runs, a .422 lifetime slugging percentage, a paltry .144 isolated power rating, and in a 1-for-19 slump - just put on perhaps the greatest single-game display of hitting in history. Better than anything Ruth, Gehrig, Bonds, Pujols, or Seerey ever did; maybe better than anything Trout or Harper or Judge will ever do.
That's the beauty of baseball.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)