Wild Slugfest Sets MLB Record for Most Home Runs in a Single Game

By The Wildcard June 10, 2019 at 8:34pm

The Arizona Diamondbacks got to play Home Run Derby in Philly.

The Diamondbacks hit three straight home runs to open the game and finished with a team-record eight in a 13-8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in a homer-happy game on Monday night.

Scott Kingery hit two of Philadelphia’s five home runs for the combined MLB record of 13 homers in one game.

The @Dbacks–@Phillies game has THIRTEEN home runs combined.

That’s a new @MLB record. pic.twitter.com/UuthdW2y1q

— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) June 11, 2019

On most nights, five would be enough to win a game. But not this one in steamy Philly, where the Diamondbacks turned their at-bats into extended batting practice.

Jarrod Dyson, Ketel Marte and David Peralta hit the dinger, tater and long ball all in a row off Jerad Eickhoff in the first inning to get the record romp rolling.

3 batters.
3 homers.
That’s just efficient. #RattleOn pic.twitter.com/yYhQLEH5zo

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 10, 2019

“With the way we’ve been swinging the bats, you never know,” Dyson said. “We’re just trying to keep that going.”

The Diamondbacks kept it going, going, gone.

Eduardo Escobar became the first Diamondback to homer from different sides of the plate in consecutive innings. Ildemaro Vargas also homered twice, Alex Avila went deep and the Diamondbacks made the Citizens Bank Park outfield seats the place to be for a souvenir.

Well, at least for the fans who wanted one — an angry Phillie fanatic hurled one homer back on the field.

Eickhoff (3-4) allowed two more two-run homers before he was chased in the fourth inning and the Diamondbacks up 7-3. The Diamondbacks hit two more homers for a team-record seven in a game and added another to set the new mark at eight.

Tonight’s #Dbacks dingers were brought to you by:
-Dyson
-Marte
-Peralta
-Escobar
-Avila
-Escobar (again)
-Vargas
-Vargas (again) pic.twitter.com/sxgKxJrdBo

— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) June 11, 2019

Eickhoff allowed five hits in three-plus innings — all the hits homers — and Arizona won its fifth straight game.

“Home runs happen. Solo home runs happen. What I get frustrated with is the free passes then the home runs,” Eickhoff said. “The multi-run home runs, those are the ones that kill you. The solos, I could care less about.”

Dyson hit the first pitch of the game to right field for his fourth homer of the season. Marte followed with his 16th home run on a drive to right. Peralta finished the long-ball barrage when he went deep to center for his ninth homer before most fans had settled into their soggy seats following a 30-minute rain delay.

“You can’t really explain it,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said. “I don’t care what kind of ballpark you’re in, whether it’s a good hitting ballpark or not, when you hit 13 home runs in a game, you’re doing a lot of things right.”

It was the first time a team had hit three straight home runs to begin the first inning since the Diamondbacks did it on July 21, 2017, at home against Washington ace Max Scherzer.

Do you think the balls in MLB are juiced?

Eickhoff gave up two-run shots in the fourth to Escobar and Avila. He failed to retire a batter in the fourth when he was yanked by manager Gabe Kapler. Eickhoff has allowed 16 home runs this season in 57 1/3 innings, and he became the first pitcher in franchise history to surrender three straight homers to start the game.

Escobar hit his second of the game, a solo shot to left, in the fifth off reliever Ranger Suárez. Vargas also added a solo shot in the inning off Suárez for the record seventh home run of the game. Vargas put the exclamation point on the extended batting practice with a two-run homer in the ninth off Austin Davis.

The Diamondbacks had hit six homers in a game six times in franchise history, the last coming June 1, 2018, against the Marlins.

Jean Segura homered in the second inning off Diamondbacks starter Taylor Clarke (3 1/3 innings) and the Phillies tied it 3-all until the Diamondbacks blew the game open with a four-run fourth. Kingery had his first career multi-homer game. Rhys Hoskins and Jay Bruce each hit solo shots in the ninth.

“These are not the type of baseball games that we like to be in,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said.

Arizona could do more than go deep. Escobar added an RBI double in the sixth to make it 11-4 and give him five RBIs and give the win to reliever Zack Godley (3-4) after 3 2-3 innings of scoreless ball.

“It’s a good park for hitting,” Escobar said. “You have good contact, you have a chance.”

But 13?

Arizona connected a day after the Nationals hit four home runs in a row in the eighth inning at San Diego. The D-backs are the first team in baseball history to hit eight home runs in a game and surrender eight (March 28 vs. the Dodgers) in the same season.

The combined 13 home runs broke a mark of 12 set by the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox twice (1995, 2002).

TRAINER’S ROOM

Diamondbacks: RF Adam Jones returned to the lineup after he missed the last four games with a right hamstring injury.

Phillies: OF Roman Quinn and RHP Edubray Ramos will started rehab assignments with Class A Clearwater. Quinn has been on the injured list since April 25 with a right groin strain. … RHP Seranthony Dominguez will visit Dr. James Andrews this week for a second opinion on his injured right elbow. He could need Tommy John surgery. “Honestly, I’m hoping for a miracle,” he said.

MINOR DEAL

The Phillies acquired international signing bonus slots from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for RHP Tom Eshelma, the 2017 Paul Owens Award winner, given annually to the best pitcher in the Phillies minor league system.

RECORD DEAL

The Reds hold the NL record for homers in a game with nine in 1999 and Toronto hit 10 in a game in 1987 for the MLB mark.

UP NEXT

The Phillies send RHP Jake Arrieta (5-5, 4.29 ERA) to the mound against RHP Jon Duplantier (1-0, 3.27) on Tuesday in the second game of the three-game set.

The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.

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