This Day in Blue Jays’
History: September 14, 1987
 |
| The six Jays responsible for the record. From L-R Rance Mulliniks, George Bell, Lloyd Moseby, Rob Ducey, Fred McGriff and Ernie Whitt. |
It was on this day in 1987 that
the Toronto Blue Jays set the Major League record for most home runs in one
game with ten, a record that still stands to this day. It’s hard to believe
that the record, at the time, was only six, having been accomplished nine
times, with the last being in 1979.
The game was played at
Exhibition Stadium in Toronto with the Baltimore Orioles being the opponent.
The Jays were in a heated division race with the Detroit Tigers, with both
teams having an 85-57 record. Baltimore, on the other hand, was in sixth place,
24 games out of first. Jim Clancy was the starting pitcher for Toronto while
Baltimore would answer with Ken Dixon.
After a scoreless first, Toronto
hit three home runs in the second. Ernie Whitt hit a solo shot, while both
Rance Mulliniks and Lloyd Moseby hit two-run shots for a 5-0 Toronto lead. Two
more dingers followed in the third, with George Bell hitting a solo shot and
Mulliniks hitting his second of the game, also a solo shot: 7-1, Toronto.
Whitt would belt his second of
the game in the fifth, and Bell would get his second in the sixth—both solo
shots: 10-2, Toronto. Bell’s home run in the sixth would be the seventh of the
game for the Blue Jays, thus setting the MLB record. But Toronto wouldn’t stop
there.
Toronto-native Rob Ducey (the
Jays’ token Canadian from 1987-1991) would hit the first dinger of his Major
League Career—a three run shot—in the seventh. Later in the inning, Whitt would
hit his third of the game, also a three-run shot and Toronto led 17-2. Finally,
the tenth homer was hit in the eighth inning by another Blue Jays’ rookie, Fred
McGriff.
No comments:
Post a Comment