Subscribe to Baseball History Comes Alive

Free Bonus for Subscribing:

Gary’s Handy Dandy World Series Reference Guide

Get new posts by email

The “Four Homer Game Club”  Photo Gallery

The Exclusive “Four-Homer Game Club” Gets a New Member!

“Four home runs in one game is baseball’s greatest single-game accomplishment.” -The Sporting News

Thursday, August 28, 2025, was an historic night for baseball, as the above quote from the Sporting News attests. Something happened that’s so rare that no player has ever done it more than once. 

What happened that night had occurred only 20 times previously in all of baseball history. It’s much rarer than a No-Hitter (326 times), or a Cycle (350 times). In fact it’s even rarer than a Perfect Game (24 times). The only two feats I can think of that are in the same “league” – so to speak – are Unassisted Triple Plays (15 times), and the rare Natural Cycle (14). So what was it?

We’re Talking About Four Home Runs in One Game!

The players who have hit four homers in one game belong to one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs. Prior to this week, there were only 20 members.

On Thursday night, Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies launched four homers against the Braves to become the 21^st and newest member of the club. The four long ones brought his total for the year to 49, in the Phillies’ 19-4 rout of the Braves. For the night, Schwarber went 4-for-6 with nine RBIs, establishing a new Phillies record. His home run total trails only Cal Raleigh’s 50.

(In the nice featured photo above, we see the great Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig together with Bobby Lowe. At the time the photo was taken in 1932, they were two members of an exclusive three-man club: Lou was the third player to hit four homers in one game, while Bobby Lowe was the first.)

What is amazing about Schwarber’s feat is that three of the now-21 four-homer games have come just this year. Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz did it last month and Eugenio Suarez did it in April, also against the Braves. Before Schwarber’s big night, the most four-homer games in one season was two, happening in 2017 and 2002 (see list below). There had never been three in one season. Also, there hadn’t been a four-homer game since 2017.

No player has ever hit five homers in a game (although Mike Cameron came very close in 2002. His last at-bat was fly out to the warning track, which I remember because I saw the game). Schwarber had a chance, but popped out in his final at-bat in the eighth inning.

Back in 2017, I wrote this about Scooter Gennet’s four homer game:

Gennett is one of only two members of this exclusive club to hit a grand slam as one of the four homers. The only other player to accomplish this is Mark Whiten in 1993.

In the long history of the Reds, going back to 1876, Gennett is the first Reds player to accomplish the feat. Just think of all the great Reds sluggers you can name off the top of your head. As a matter of fact, eliminating expansion-era teams and just considering the original 16 teams of the National and American Leagues, the following teams have never had a player hit four homers in a game: Cubs, Senators/Twins, Pirates, Red Sox, Browns/Orioles, and Tigers.

Here’s the complete list of the players who have accomplished this rare feat, which includes six Hall of Famers:

• Kyle Schwarber, Phillies, August 28, 2025 vs. Braves
• Nick Kurtz, Athletics, July 25 2025, vs. Astros
• Eugenio Suarez, Diamondbacks, April 26, 2025, vs. Braves
• J. D. Martinez, Diamondbacks, Sept. 4, 2017, vs. Dodgers
• Scooter Gennett, Reds, June 6, 2017 vs. Cardinals
• Josh Hamilton, Rangers, May 8, 2012 vs. Orioles
• Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays, Sept. 25, 2003 vs. Devil Rays
• Shawn Green, Dodgers, May 23, 2002 vs. Brewers
• Mike Cameron, Mariners, May 2, 2002 vs. White Sox
• Mark Whiten, Cardinals, Sept. 7, 1993 vs. Reds
• Bob Horner, Braves, July 6, 1986 vs. Expos
• Mike Schmidt*, Phillies, April 17, 1976 vs. Cubs
• Willie Mays*, Giants, April 30, 1961 vs. Braves
• Rocky Colavito, Indians, June 10, 1959 vs. Orioles
• Joe Adcock, Braves, July 31, 1954 vs. Dodgers
• Gil Hodges*, Dodgers, Aug. 31, 1950 vs. Braves
• Pat Seerey, White Sox, July 18, 1948 vs. Athletics
• Chuck Klein*, Phillies, July 10, 1936 vs. Pirates
• Lou Gehrig*, Yankees, June 3, 1932 vs. Athletics
• Ed Delahanty*, Phillies, July 13, 1896 vs. Colts
• Bobby Lowe, Beaneaters, May 30, 1894 vs. Reds

*Hall of Fame

Gary Livacari 

Subscribe to Baseball History Comes Alive. FREE BONUS for subscribing: Gary’s Handy Dandy World Series Reference Guide.  https://wp.me/P7a04E-2he

Information and stats: Excerpts edited from Four Homer Game Wikipedia page

Visit the Baseball History Comes Alive Home Page