The list of MLB players who have hit at least three home runs in a single game continues to grow every single year. It has been done more than 650 times in the history of the league – which might seem like a big number, but we’re talking about 150 years of history and a catalog of 20,000+ players who have tried.
Nonetheless, some MLB players have a knack for hitting home runs often and some of them have made a career out of hitting multiple home runs in the same game. Just look at Mookie Betts, who tied an MLB record in 2020 when he hit his sixth career 3-HR game – tying him with Sammy Sosa and Johnny Mize.
Of course, it’s not as easy as some MLB players make it look. Take David Ortiz, Gary Sheffield, and Rafael Palmeiro for example – the only three members of the 500-HR club to never hit three home runs in the same game. They had a combined 123 multi-HR games in their careers, but never a 3-HR game.
MLB Players Who Hit 3 Home Runs in the Same Game This Season
After witnessing 14 3-HR games in each of the past two seasons (2022 and 2021), MLB players are at it again in 2023. While we’ve seen a small decline in the volume, there have still been eight MLB players who have hit at least three home runs in a single game this season – including two in the past two weeks.
The Astros are the only team to have two MLB players do so this year, while the Athletics are the only team to allow two 3-HR games this year – they made up for it, though, with a 3-HR game of their own in May. The Yankees, Athletics, and Rangers have been on both the receiving and giving side of the feat.
Through September 6, the 8 MLB players with three home runs in a single game this year include Trayce Thompson, Adolis Garcia, Paul Goldschmidt, Jordan Diaz, Jose Ramirez, Kyle Tucker, Aaron Judge, and Jose Altuve. Let’s take a look back and marvel at each of their incredible performances.
1. Trayce Thompson vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (April 1, 2023)
On April 1, 2023, Trayce Thompson – younger brother of Klay Thompson (NBA) – of the Los Angeles Dodgers hit three home runs against the Arizona Diamondbacks in what was his first game of the season. He finished the game 3 of 4 (.750) with 3 runs scored, 8 runs batted in, and one strikeout. He was on fire!
His first home run was a grand slam against Madison Bumgarner in the bottom of the 1st inning – he hit a blast to deep left-center field. He struck out in the 3rd inning, but hit a three-run homer off Kevin Ginkel in the 5th inning. His third home run was a solo shot to left-center field off Carlos Vargas in the 8th inning
On a team that boasts the likes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, J.D. Martinez, and Max Muncy, Thompson is the last person you would expect to hit three home runs in the same game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to keep him in LA as he was traded to the Chicago White Sox nearly four months later.
Thompson has bounced around quite a bit since making his MLB debut in 2015. This is now his third stint with the White Sox after two stints with the Dodgers and short stints with the Athletics, Cubs, and Padres. He’s batting a career .215 with 192 hits, 45 home runs, 125 RBIs, and 127 runs scored in 351 games.
2. Adolis Garcia vs. Oakland Athletics (April 22, 2023)
On April 22, 2023, Adolis Garcia of the Texas Rangers hit three home runs against the Oakland Athletics in what was his 19th game of the season. It remains one of the most impressive games by a batter this season – he finished 5 of 5 (1.000) with 3 home runs, 2 doubles, 5 runs, 8 RBIs, and one hit-by-pitch.
Here’s how his day at the plate went – he hit a 2-run shot off Shintaro Fujinami in the 1st inning, was hit by a pitch in the 2nd inning, hit a 2-run blast off Adrian Martinez in the 3rd inning, another 2-run homer off Martinez in the 5th inning, a 2-run double in the 7th inning, and yet another double in the 8th inning.
Garcia has been one of the league’s premier batters over the past three seasons – he has a .246 batting average, 417 hits, 86 doubles, 7 triples, 92 home runs, 291 RBIs, and 262 runs scored in 439 games during that time. He currently leads the AL in RBIs (100) and has a career-high 34 home runs in 2023.
He’s no stranger to a multi-HR game, either. Aside from his 3-HR game on April 22, he also had a 2-HR game on May 17 and August 4 of this year. He now has seven multi-HR games in his career, including one in 2022 and three in 2021. In 2023, he hasn’t gone more than 15 games without hitting a home run.
3. Paul Goldschmidt vs. Detroit Tigers (May 7, 2023)
On May 7, 2023, Paul Goldschmidt of the St. Louis Cardinals hit three home runs in a 12-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers in what was his 34th game of the season. He finished the game 4 of 5 (.800) with 3 home runs, 4 runs scored, 4 runs batted in, 13 total bases, and one stolen base – he saw 19 total pitches.
Here’s how his day at the plate went – he hit a solo home run to center field off Alex Faedo in the bottom of the 1st inning, another solo shot to center-right field off Faedo in the 3rd inning, a single and fielder’s choice in the 6th inning (two at-bats), and a two-run blast to left field off Tyler Holton in the 8th inning.
For someone who regularly hits 30+ home runs in a season, he had a slow start to 2023 – only hitting four of them in his first 33 games of the year. He eventually turned it around and is now batting .275 with 144 hits, 26 doubles, 22 home runs, 71 runs batted in, and 77 runs scored in 134 games played in 2023.
He’s no stranger to the multi-HR game and it’s not even his first time recording a 3-HR performance – he hit three home runs against the Cubs in 2017 and against the Brewers in 2019. He now has 26 multi-HR games since making his major league debut with the Diamondbacks in 2011, including three this season.
4. Jordan Diaz vs. New York Yankees (May 9, 2023)
On May 9, 2023, Jordan Diaz of the Oakland Athletics hit three home runs in a 5-10 loss against the New York Yankees – he’s the only batter this season to hit three home runs in a losing effort. He finished the game 3 of 4 (.750) with 3 runs scored, 4 runs batted in, and 12 total bases – he saw 16 pitches in total.
Here’s how his day at the plate went – he grounded out to third base in the 2nd inning, hit a solo home run to left field off Clarke Schmidt in the 4th inning, hit a leadoff solo home run to left field off Albert Abreu in the 7th inning, and hit a two-run blast to left-center field off Greg Weissert in the 8th inning.
Diaz was just 22 years old (he’s 23 now) when he hit his three home runs against the Yankees – making him the youngest on this list. It was just his 15th game of the season and 30th game of his career. It was also the first multi-HR game of his career and he had just one home run in his career prior to this game.
After only playing in 15 games last season, he has appeared in 73 games for the Athletics in 2023 and is batting .241 with 53 hits, 7 doubles, 10 home runs, 25 runs batted in, and 19 runs scored this season. He’s one of the two unlikely names on this list – joining the likes of Trayce Thompson (from above).
5. Jose Ramirez vs. Boston Red Sox (June 8, 2023)
On June 8, 2023, Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians hit three home runs in a 10-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox in what was his 59th game of the 2023 season. He finished the game 3 of 5 (.600) with 3 runs scored, 5 runs batted in, and 1 strikeout – it was the first 3-HR game of his 11-year career.
Here’s how his day at the plate went – he hit a solo home run to left field off Matt Dermody in the 1st inning, a two-run blast to left-center field off Dermody in the 3rd inning, a leadoff solo home run to right field off Corey Kluber in the 6th inning, a strikeout in the 6th inning, and a fielder’s choice in 8th inning.
Ramirez had just six home runs through the first 58 games of the season, but upped that total to nine home runs by the end of the night. Now through 133 games of the year, he’s batting .272 with 141 hits, 32 doubles, 5 triples, 21 home runs, 72 runs batted in, 77 runs scored, and 22 of 26 stolen base attempts.
It might be the first 3-HR game of his career, but he’s no stranger to the multi-HR game – he now has 23 multi-HR games in his career, including three this season. Aside from his three blasts on June 8, he also had a two-HR game against the Royals on July 26 and another one vs. the White Sox just four days later.
6. Kyle Tucker vs. Oakland Athletics (July 21, 2023)
On July 21, 2023, Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros hit three home runs in a 6-4 victory against the Oakland Athletics in what was his 96th game of the 2023 season. He finished the game 3 of 4 (.750) with 3 runs scored, 4 runs batted in, and 12 total bases – it was the first 3-HR game of his six-year career.
Here’s how his day at the plate went – he hit a solo home run to center-right field off JP Sears in the 1st inning, a flyball to center field in the 3rd inning, a two-run blast to right field off Sears in the 5th inning, and another solo home run to right field off Tayler Scott in the 7th inning – which extended the lead to 2 runs.
Tucker is currently in his third season as a mainstay in the Astros’ lineup. He has a .280 batting average, 433 hits, 96 doubles, 4 triples, 86 home runs, 298 runs batted in, 234 runs scored, and 65 stolen bases during that span. After hitting 30 home runs in 2021 and again in 2022, he now has 26 homers in 2023.
He has homered in 95 games during his career, but only three of those games featured multiple home runs. He hit two home runs against the Los Angeles Angels on April 8, 2022 and two home runs against the Boston Red Sox on May 17, 2022 before blasting three of them against the Athletics this season.
7. Aaron Judge vs. Washington Nationals (August 23, 2023)
On August 23, 2023, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees hit three home runs in a 9-1 victory over the Washington Nationals in what was his 72nd game of the 2023 season. He finished the game 3 of 4 (.750) with 3 runs scored, 6 runs batted in, and 12 total bases after seeing a total of 18 pitches in 4 at-bats.
Here’s how his day at the plate went – he hit a solo home run to center-right field off MacKenzie Gore in the bottom of the 1st inning, a grand slam to center field off Gore in the 2nd inning, a groundout in the 4th inning, and a solo home run to the right field line off Jose Ferrer in the 7th inning to extend the lead to 8.
Believe it or not, this was Judge’s first-ever 3-HR game – which is crazy considering he’s the fastest player to ever hit 250 home runs in his career (a record he broke with a home run on September 2). One would have to think that he’ll do it again before he retires, but it’s not guaranteed – nothing is in the MLB!
With that said, we’re talking about a player who has 32 multi-HR games in his career – including five this season and three in the month of May alone. It’s something his team would love to see more of – after all, the Yankees are 28-4 when he hits at least two home runs. Expect more of that to come in the future.
8. Jose Altuve vs. Texas Rangers (September 5, 2023)
On September 5, 2023, Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros hit three home runs in a 14-1 victory against the Texas Rangers in what was his 68th game of the 2023 season. In doing so, he became the fourth player to ever hit three homers in the first three innings of a game – which is an incredible statistic.
Here’s how his day at the plate went – he hit a leadoff home run to deep left field off Nathan Eovaldi in the 1st inning, a second solo home run to left-center field off Eovaldi in the 2nd inning, a third solo shot to center field off Dane Dunning in the 3rd inning, a groundout in the 5th, and a strikeout in the 7th inning.
It capped off an incredible two-game stretch that saw him bat 7 of 11 (.636) with 5 home runs, 6 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in. He hit a solo home run in the 6th inning of their previous game, as well as a solo home run in the 9th inning – meaning he hit a home run in four consecutive innings during that span.
It was surprising, to say the least – Altuve isn’t known as a home run hitter. In fact, it was the first 3-HR game of his career and just the 10th multi-HR game of his career (second of the 2023 season). He now has 15 home runs on the season and brought his career total up to 207 home runs in 1,646 games.
Notable MLB Players Who Have Yet to Record a 3-HR Game
When you look at all the greatest home run hitters in the MLB today, you’d think that they all have at least one 3-HR game in their career. And while a lot of them do, there are also a lot that haven’t – after all, it’s not something that happens very often (it has happened just 36 times over the past three seasons).
Giancarlo Stanton has 36 career multi-HR games, but never a 3-HR game. Same with Mike Trout (25 multi-HR games), Matt Olson (20 multi-HR games), Freddie Freeman (19 multi-HR games), Pete Alonso (18 multi-HR games), C.J. Cron (17 multi-HR games), and Joey Gallo (17 multi-HR games).
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Rafael Devers Has 4th Multi-HR Game of Season and 16th Multi-HR Game of Career — Here’s a Look Back at Each One
Cody Bellinger (17 multi-HR games), Shohei Ohtani (16 multi-HR games), and Rafael Devers (16 multi-HR games) are other notable MLB players who have yet to join that coveted list. As long as these players stay healthy, there’s a good chance they accomplish it in the near future – but who knows?
Contents
What to Read Next...
At The Buzzer, or ATB is the place for those who love sports, life, family, community, and so much more. We are far from the run-of-the-mill 24/7 sports news websites. We not only bring you what’s happening in the world of sports in terms of trades and breaking news, but we also bring you the news that goes on behind the scenes, like big life moments, and so much more. So take a minute and read one of our articles, we promise you won't regret it.