A Labor day Home Run Post

I thought for Labor day (since no one is probably paying attention), I'd have a little baseball fun.  I said, "I wonder what the top home run hitters did on their FIRST Labor Day?"  And so I researched the top 20 (22 actually, with a 3-way tie for 20th), and here's what I found:

#7 Ken Griffey Jr (Seattle 1989) and #15 Manny Ramirez (Cleveland '93) got boned- their teams had no game scheduled.  #4 Alex Rodriguez (Seattle) did as well, as the 1994 season was ended by the strike in August.  And #2 Hank Aaron (Milwaukee Braves 1954) didn't play after the Sunday before Labor Day- perhaps an injury, I couldn't tell.

Other guys who I can prove were on the roster at the time but didn't play are Jim Thome (Cleveland '91),  and Big Pappi David Ortiz (Minnesota 1998).

That said, the guys that did:

#1 Barry Bonds (Pittsburgh '86)- 1-4 with a 7th-inning single and knocked in by Sid Bream.

#3 Babe Ruth (Boston Red Sox, 1915):  He pitched game 2 of a doubleheader, going 7 1/3 with 3 hits, 3 runs-one earned, and 3s also in the walks and strikeouts column.  He was the loser in the 5-2 loss  (making him 14-7) to his future employers, the Yankees, and singled, doubled, and struck out in 3 abs before coming out.

#5 Willie Mays (NY Giants, '51): Game one he goes 2-4.  Doubled in Whitey Lockman in the 2nd, but was thrown out at 3rd trying to stretch it; singled in the 4th, but was struck out by Robin Roberts to end the game.  Game two he went 2-3, with 2 singles and a pair of walks.

#6 Albert Pujols (St Louis 2001): One of 2 players to actually homer on the day, he got #32 with one on off the Padres' Bobby Jones in the first, finished out single, strikeout, and walk.

#9 Sammy Sosa (White Sox, 1989):  Already on his second team, he had an 0-3 day with a walk, on which he scored off an Ozzie Guillen sac fly.

#10 Frank Robinson (Cincinnati 1956): In game 1, he doubled in the 1st, hit a leadoff homer in the 3rd (his 36th), but after that it was a LOT of ground outs.  3 to finish game one, 3 more in an 0-4 second game which featured TWO, yes two, failed bunt attempts.  WTH?

#11 Mark McGwire (Oakland '87) 1-4 with a 4th inning double, from which he was knocked in by Dwayne Murphy.

#12 Harmon Killebrew (Washington Senators, 1955):  He sat out game 2, but game one his lone trip was a pinch hit assignment for pitcher Camilo Pasqual.  He was struck out, ironically, by Tom BREWer.

#13 Rafael Palmeiro (Cubs, '87):  A wide variety of 0-4 outs: a flyout, ground out, pop up, and strikeout.

#14 Reggie Jackson (Oakland 1968): Game one he was 0-3 against Mickey Lolich with a pair of Ks, before getting a single, and scoring when Sal Bando hit a ball that first baseman Norm Cash booted.  Game two he went 1-5, but the one was a single that moved Bert Campaneris into scoring position and Danny Cater singled him in.

#16 Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia 1973):  Game one he drew a pinch hit walk off Jerry Koosman in the ninth and died there; Game two, he had a pair of singles- the first, he was thrown out at home after moving to second and a single; later on, he would hit into a double play that scored Bill Robinson- an unearned run with no RBI as Robinson reached on an error.

#18 Mickey Mantle (Yankees, '51): He watched game one, and wishes he had game two as well.  He came in to pinch hit, and Bob Hooper of the A's struck him out to end a 3-2 Philadelphia win.

#19 Jimmie Foxx (Philadelphia A's, 1927):  He only got into game 1, and Tom Zachary popped him up pinch hitting for Howard Ehmke.

And #20 by age:

Ted Williams (Red Sox, 1939):  Game one he went 2-3 with a pair of doubles and a walk, scoring one and knocking in another.  Game two was an 0-3 with a walk and a run as the Senators swept the set.

Willie McCovey (San Francisco 1959): He forced Mays at 2nd first time, proceeded to go 0-3 against Bob Gibson.  He got a single later, but was pulled for pinch runner Jackie Brandt, who was promptly thrown out at 2nd stealing.

And, Frank Thomas (White Sox, 1990)  the Big Hurt struck out twice against Kevin Appier and Kansas City, but managed a sac fly and an RBI.



So out of 12,658 home runs total these guys got on their career, and 341 of them in the years in question, I get 2.  I'll have to try this again on a different holiday, I guess.