Eugenio Suárez has etched his name in baseball history with a remarkable feat. The Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman, a seasoned MLB veteran in his 12th season and on his fourth team, joined an elite group of players by hitting four home runs in a single game against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday. His final homer in the ninth inning evened the score, showcasing his clutch performance.
The achievement by Suárez, accomplished in just four plate appearances, marks him as the 19th player in MLB history to achieve this milestone. The last player to achieve this feat was J.D. Martinez in 2017, also with the D-backs.
Despite Suárez’s historic performance, the D-backs fell short as a wild pitch in the 10th inning and a shutout inning by Dylan Lee secured an 8-7 victory for the Braves, who had trailed 6-2 at one point.
A four-homer game is a rare occurrence in baseball, with only three instances in the past two decades before Suárez’s feat. Even rarer is achieving this milestone in a losing effort, a feat only accomplished by Suárez, Bob Horner in 1986, and Ed Delahanty in 1896.
Prior to his historic game, Suárez had been struggling at the plate with a .167/.279/.411 slash line and 30 strikeouts in 26 games. However, he now leads the MLB in home runs with 10, showcasing his power despite having hit only five singles all season.
Suárez’s ability to mix power hitting with high strikeout rates has defined his career, making his feat not entirely surprising. While his performance can be streaky, as evidenced by his stats before Saturday, he has the potential to deliver incredible moments on the field.