The Pecan Park Eagle

LOU GEHRIG
June 3, 1932
4 HR in One Game!

On June 3, 1932, Lou Gehrig became the first man in 36 years to hit 4 home runs in a single game – and only the third man in MLB history to do it at all. Robert Lowe was the first big leaguer to do it (1994) and Ed Delahanty was the man prior to Gehrig. Lowe’s 4 homers were also consecutive; Delahanty’s were not, but they also came in a single game.

Since Gehrig, 13 MLB batters have pulled the 4-homers-in one-game trick and these include Chuck Klein (1936); Pat Seerey (1948); Gil Hodges (1950); Joe Adcock (1954); Rocky Colavito (1959); Willie Mays (1961); Mike Schmidt (1976); Bob Horner (1986); Mark Whiten (1993); Mike Cameron (2002); Shawn Green (2002); Carlos Delgado (2003); and Josh Hamilton (2012).

As most of you know, Lou Gehrig could never catch a total attention break to his performances on the field due to his years of career play in the formidable shadows of teammate Babe Ruth, but even his big home run day had to take second billing to the fact that iconic manager John McGraw had chosen this same date to announce his retirement as the almost forever manager of the New York Giants.

McGraw and successor Bill Terry got the bold type headlines all around the country for Muggsy’s retirement and his managerial replacement by Bill Terry. Gehrig took the smaller, thinner, lesser page-positioned second banana bold type for his 4 consecutive home runs in one game against the Athletics in Philadelphia.

So, with a little help from another Baseball Almanac box score, here’s how one Associated Press story covered Gehrig’s feat in the Hamilton (OH) Daily News on June 4, 1932, Page 6:

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Gehrig’s Four Homers in One Game Tie National Loop Record

TERRY’S APPOINTMENT AS GIANTS PILOT SURPRISES BASEBALL MEN

SLUGGING YANKS GAIN 50 BASES IN 20 TO 13 WIN

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NEW YORKERS ALSO EQUAL MARK FOR MOST HOME RUNS IN SINGLE GAME

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By Gayle Talbot, Associated Press Sportswriter

Lou Gehrig, long accustomed to play(ing) second  fiddle to the one and only Babe Ruth, today has carved himself a place in baseball’s permanent record, the result of a home run spree never equaled by his illustrious teammate, or by any other batsman in the last 38 years.

The Yankee first baseman yesterday crashed four consecutive home runs at Shibe Park as his team beat the Philadelphia Athletics, 20 to 13.

Only once before had the feat been equaled. Robert Lowe, of the Boston Nationals, of 1894, did it. Ed Delahanty of Philadelphia hit four in one game in 1896, but only three were consecutive.

Gehrig’s record was not the only one to fall in the wild melee. The Yankees filed up a total of 50 bases on 23 hits and the two clubs had a combined couple of 77 bases. The Yanks also equaled the big league record for home runs in a game, with seven. Jimmy Foxx hit his nineteenth home run for the A’s; Babe Ruth his fifteenth. ….

~ Gayle Talbot, Associated Press, Hamilton (OH) Daily News, June 6, 1932, Page 6.

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The following box score appears below though the courtesy of Baseball Almanac.Com ~

4 Home Runs in 1 Game by Lou GehrigJune 3, 1932 at Shibe Park

Hitting & Fielding Notes

Name Pos AB R H RBI Earle Combs cf 5 2 3 1 Jack Saltzgaver 2b 4 1 1 1 Babe Ruth lf 5 2 2 1    Myril Hoag lf 0 1 0 0 Lou Gehrig 1b 6 4 4 6 Ben Chapman rf 5 3 2 1 Bill Dickey c 4 2 2 1 Tony Lazzeri 3b 6 3 5 6 Frankie Crosetti ss 6 1 2 2 Johnny Allen p 2 0 0 0    Gordon Rhodes p 1 0 1 0    Jumbo Brown p 1 0 0 0    Lefty Gomez p 1 1 1 0 Totals 46 20 23 19 Name Pos AB R H RBI Max Bishop 2b 4 2 2 0 Doc Cramer cf 5 1 1 3    c-Oscar Roettger ph 1 0 0 0 Bing Miller lf 0 0 0 0 Mickey Cochrane c 5 1 1 2    d-Dib Williams ph 1 0 0 0    Al Simmons lf-cf 4 2 0 0 Jimmie Foxx 1b 3 3 2 1 Ed Coleman rf 6 2 2 3 Eric McNair ss 5 1 3 0 Jimmy Dykes 3b 4 1 1 0 George Earnshaw p 2 0 0 0    a-Mule Haas ph 1 0 1 0    Roy Mahaffey p 0 0 0 0    Rube Walberg p 0 0 0 0    Lew Krausse p 0 0 0 0    b-Ed Madjeski ph 1 0 0 0    Eddie Rommel p 0 0 0 0 Totals 42 13 13 9 a: Single for Earnshaw in 5th inning. b: Reached on error for Krausse in 8th inning. c: Flied out for Cramer in 8th inning. d: Batted for Cochrane in 9th inning. Double Plays: Cochrane-McNair, Bishop-Foxx, Coleman-Cochrane. Errors: Ruth, Gehrig, Crosetti 2, Allen, Earnshaw. Doubles: Ruth, Lazzeri, Coleman, McNair. Home Runs: Combs, Ruth, Gehrig 4, Lazzeri, Cochrane, Foxx. Left on Base: New York 6, Philadelphia 11. Stolen Base: Lazzeri. Triples: Chapman, Lazzeri, Bishop, Cramer, Foxx.

Line Score

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E New York 2 0 0 2 3 2 3 2 6 20 23 5 Philadelphia 2 0 0 6 0 2 0 2 1 13 13 1

Pitching Notes

Name IP H R ER BB SO Johnny Allen 3.2 7 8 4 5 2    Gordon Rhodes 1.1 1 2 2 2 0    Jumbo Brown 2.0 3 2 1 1 0    Lefty Gomez 2.0 2 1 1 0 1 Name IP H R ER BB SO George Earnshaw 5.0 8 7 6 2 8    Roy Mahaffey 1.0 6 4 4 0 0    Rube Walberg 1.0 2 1 1 1 1    Lew Krausse 1.0 4 2 2 0 0    Eddie Rommel 1.0 3 6 6 3 0 Losing Pitcher: Mahaffey. Wild Pitch: Rhodes. Winning Pitcher: Gomez.

Game Notes

Attendance: 7,300. Length of Game: 2:55. Umpires: HP: Harry Geisel, 1B: Bill McGowan, 3B: Charles Van Graflan.

Tags: Lou Gehrig's 4-hr Game

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