This Day In Baseball
History: April 30, 1961
It was on this date in 1961 that
San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Willie Mays slugged four home runs in one
game, with all four dingers travelling more than 400 feet. The game was played
at County Stadium in Milwaukee against the Braves.
The first home run was a solo
shot that came in the first inning off Braves’ starting pitcher Lew Burdette to
give the Giants a 1-0 lead. He then came to bat in the top of the third with
Milwaukee ahead 3-2, and pounded his second homer of the game (again off
Burdette but this time with a runner on base) to give San Fran a 4-3 lead.
After flying out in the fifth,
the Say Hey kid drilled a three-run shot off Braves’ reliever Seth Morehead and
the Giants now led 11-3. Another two-run belt in the eighth (off Don McMahon)
made the score 14-4, which is how the game ended. Mays’s opportunity to hit a
fifth never happened as he was in the on-deck circle in the top of the ninth
when the third out was recorded.
For the game, Mays was 4 for 5,
the four home runs and eight RBIs. Giants’ shortstop, Jose Pagan, also went
deep twice, as did Milwaukee outfielder Hank Aaron. Two San Francisco players
(Felipe Alou and Orlando Cepeda) hit one home run each for a game total of ten.
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