It’s a rare feat to hit a home run into McCovey Cove right outside of Oracle Park. It’s even more rare to do it twice in a game. Only legendary hitter Barry Bonds has done such a feat.
… until Monday.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Jack Suwinski took two balls into the water (in the seventh and ninth innings) in the 14-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Monday.
“I think we see once Jack gets back on time, the ball can go a long way,” manager Derek Shelton told the media after the game, including MLB.com. “He hit the second one off of a position player, but the first one he hit and flushed that up.”
That second home run, while off of second baseman Brett Wisely, was a low-velocity slider that could have caught Suwinksi off guard.
The home runs came during a time when Suwinski had returned from a meek home run slump. On Friday, the 24-year-old went 3-for-5 with two home runs and three RBI in the 11-6 win over the Seattle Mariners. Prior to that, he was at the helm of a 14-game drought.
As far as being in the same history books as Bonds, it won’t surprise you to know that the league’s all-time career home run leader had not one, but two games where he had splash hits. On May 10, 2000, against the St. Louis Cardinals, and again on May 18, 2002, against Miami Marlins.
Not bad company to be in.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.