Hitting a home run is hard. Honestly, if you’ve ever stood in a batting cage and tried to time a 70-mph machine, you know that squaring up a major-league fastball is basically a miracle of physics. So, when we talk about the mlb most home runs in a game, we aren't just talking about a hot streak. We are talking about the "four-home run game," an event so rare that more people have walked on the moon than have achieved this feat in a single nine-inning contest.
As of the 2025 season, only 21 players have ever hit four home runs in a single MLB game. Think about that. Over 150 years of professional baseball, and we’re still looking at a group small enough to fit on a single team bus. What's even weirder is the mix of names. You've got the inner-circle Hall of Famers like Willie Mays and Lou Gehrig, but then you've got guys like Scooter Gennett and Mark Whiten. It sort of proves that on any given Tuesday, the universe can just decide one guy is a god for three hours.
The Modern Power Surge: What Happened in 2025?
If you feel like you’ve been seeing the "4-HR" highlight more often lately, you aren’t crazy. 2025 was a statistical anomaly that left historians scratching their heads. We saw three different players join the club in a single season.
- Eugenio Suárez (April 26, 2025): The Diamondbacks slugger went deep four times against the Braves. Interestingly, his team still lost 8-7.
- Nick Kurtz (July 25, 2025): The Athletics rookie put on a clinic against Houston, adding a double and a single to his four homers for 19 total bases.
- Kyle Schwarber (August 28, 2025): The most recent entry. Schwarber turned a game against Atlanta into a personal home run derby, leading the Phillies to a 19-4 blowout.
Before this explosion, we usually went years—sometimes decades—between these performances. There was a 36-year gap between Ed Delahanty in 1896 and Lou Gehrig in 1932. It’s a fickle record.
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Breaking Down the mlb most home runs in a game Leaders
The "record" for an individual is four. No one has ever hit five in a Major League game. People have come close; Joe Adcock hit four and a double in 1954, and Shawn Green had a legendary 6-for-6 day in 2002 where his "worst" hit was a double. But that fifth long ball remains the White Whale of baseball.
The All-Time 4-Homer Club
It started with Bobby Lowe in 1894. He was playing for the Boston Beaneaters (great name, by the way) and actually hit two of his homers in the same inning. Since then, the list has grown slowly.
- Lou Gehrig (1932): The Iron Horse was the first "modern" player to do it. He actually had a chance at a fifth, but he flew out to deep center in his last at-bat.
- Mike Schmidt (1976): This one was wild because it happened in a 10-inning comeback. Schmidt hit all four in consecutive at-bats, starting in the 4th inning.
- Josh Hamilton (2012): Probably the most dominant display of the 21st century. Hamilton was so locked in that he barely looked like he was swinging.
- Mark Whiten (1993): Known as "Hard Hittin' Mark Whiten," he didn't just hit four homers; he drove in 12 runs in a single game. That tied an MLB record that still stands.
The Team Record: When Everyone Joins In
While four is the individual limit, the mlb most home runs in a game by a single team is a much higher number. The 1987 Toronto Blue Jays hold the gold medal here. On September 14, 1987, they absolutely dismantled the Baltimore Orioles, hitting 10 home runs as a team. Ernie Whitt led the charge with three, while George Bell and Rance Mulliniks each had two.
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The 2025 New York Yankees actually made a run at this record twice in the same season. On March 29 and again on August 19, the "Bronx Bombers" lived up to the name by hitting nine home runs in a game. They are the first team in history to hit nine homers in a game twice in one year. Aaron Judge, predictably, was the catalyst, but it takes a full lineup of guys swinging for the fences to reach those heights.
Why Does This Record Still Matter?
In an era where "launch angle" and "exit velocity" are terms we use every day, you’d think more players would be hitting four homers in a game. But pitchers are better than ever. They throw 101 mph with movement that looks like a video game glitch.
The 4-homer game is the ultimate "lightning in a bottle." It requires a perfect storm: a hitter who is seeing the ball like a beachball, a pitcher (or three) who keeps making mistakes, and a game situation that allows that hitter to keep coming back to the plate. If you’re winning 15-0, you might get subbed out for a pinch hitter to rest. If you're losing 15-0, the other team might just walk you.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking to catch history or just understand the gravity of the mlb most home runs in a game, keep these things in mind:
- Watch the "Total Bases" Stat: When a player is having a multi-HR game, look at their total bases. The record is 19 (held by Shawn Green and Nick Kurtz). If a guy is at 12 or 16 bases by the 7th inning, drop everything and find a stream.
- Ballpark Factors: Most 4-homer games happen in hitter-friendly parks or during extreme weather. Keep an eye on games in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, or Arlington when the wind is blowing out.
- The Second-Inning Rule: Many 4-HR players, like Bobby Lowe and Mike Cameron, actually hit two home runs in the same inning. If a guy goes deep twice before the 3rd inning, he’s officially on "Record Watch."
The chase for five home runs is the last great frontier of single-game offensive stats. With the way the game is evolving and the pure athleticism of today’s stars, we might finally see someone break the four-homer ceiling before the decade is out. Until then, we’re left marvelling at the 21 men who turned a baseball diamond into their own personal backyard.