July 18, 1948: Pat Seerey of the Chicago White Sox celebrates his 4 home run game against the Philadelphia A’s at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Sox also won, 12-11.
One day in my childhood, in the summer of 1948, I awoke to the amazing Houston Post story of a fellow named Pat Seerey, an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox. I almost fell into my good morning hot tea when I read what he had done the day before.
PAT SEEREY HITS 4 HOMERS IN ONE GAME! The date was July 18, 1948; the site was Shibe Park, the same former ballpark site that some of us visited in Philadelphia last week. The visiting Chicago White Sox blasted the homey Philadelphia Athletics of Connie Mack that day by a score of 12-11. Seerey played left field and batted clean up that day, going 4 for 6, and using his 4 homers to bat in 7 runs.
Years later, I met Dave Philley, who played center field for the Sox in that game, and i also got to be good friends with the late Ray Coleman, who made a late appearance as a pinch hitter for the A’s in the game. Now I can only wish that I had asked Ray more questions about Mr. Mack and that day that Seerey unloaded upon them.
Four Home Runs In One Game American League Players in Chronological Order |
|||
| Name | Position | Team | Date / Box Score |
|
1B |
New York |
06-03-1932 | |
|
LF |
Chicago |
07-18-1948 | |
|
RF |
Cleveland |
06-10-1959 | |
|
CF |
Seattle |
05-02-2002 | |
| Carlos Delgado | 1B | Toronto | 09-25-2003 |
|
CF |
Texas |
05-08-2012 | |
|
Name |
Position |
Team |
Date / Box Score |
Four Home Runs In One Game National League Players in Chronological Order |
|||
| Name | Position | Team | Date / Box Score |
|
2B |
Boston |
05-30-1894 | |
|
LF |
Philadelphia |
07-13-1896 | |
|
RF |
Philadelphia |
07-10-1936 | |
|
1B |
Brooklyn |
08-31-1950 | |
|
1B |
Milwaukee |
07-31-1954 | |
|
CF |
San Francisco |
04-30-1961 | |
|
3B |
Philadelphia |
04-17-1976 | |
|
1B |
Atlanta |
07-06-1986 | |
|
RF |
St. Louis |
09-07-1993 | |
| Shawn Green | RF | Los Angeles | 05-23-2002 |
|
Name |
Position |
Team |
Date / Box Score |
| Four Home Runs In One Game | |||
The four home run game by a single player has happened only 16 times in big league history, with 6 times it going the AL way and 10 times it pounding off an NL hitter’s bat. Last year’s 4-HR spot by the AL’s Josh Hamilton was the first time in 10 years since it had last been done by the NL’s Shawn Green.
That fact it can happen at all is a tribute to both chance and strange pitcher mercy. Most 3-HR batters only get one of those butt-drilling pitches when they return for a fourth shot at the plate.
At any rate, my future with this subject is pretty much fixed. The next time it happens, if it even happens in my lifetime, the first person to run his cleats through my mind will still always be – Pat Seerey.
Tags: 4 homers in one game
The Pecan Park Eagle 
August 12, 2013 at 1:50 pm |
Joe Adcock hit four homeruns against the Dodgers on Juy 31, 1954–the next dat a Didger pticher hit him with a pitch that broke his arm. I don’t think that Adcock or the Braves compalined.
August 12, 2013 at 6:45 pm |
Bill, your vignettes are always interesting. I particularly enjoyed this one about Pat Seerey because I was a teenager living in the Philadelphia area at the time. I spent many of my summer days at Shibe Park watching the Phillies and the Athletics. It was pretty neat having a major league game in your home city almost every day. I did not see the game in which Seerey hit his 4 homeruns, but I particularly recall listening to the play-by-play by one of the great radio voices of that time, Byrum Saam. If my memory serves correctly, it was a Sunday afternoon (probably a double-header) and Seerey’s 4th HR was a game winner in extra innings.