Today In Jays History: Delgado Hits Four Home Runs

21 Years Ago

These things always make me feel old; I would have never guessed this happened 21 years ago.

Carlos Delgado hit four home runs against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (this was before they changed the name). It has happened only six times in AL history and only 18 times in MLB history. Delgado was the 15th in MLB history. He is the only Blue Jay to do it. The last player to do it was J.D. Martinez in 2017 as a Diamondback.

The game was at Skydome, and the Jays would win 10-8.

Delgado’s homers:

• The first was a three-run home run in the first inning. Frank Catalanotto and Vernon Wells were on base. That made it 3-0 Jays.
• The second was a solo homer leading off the fourth. That made it 4-1 Jays. Orlando Hudson hit a ground-rule double to make it 5-1 later that inning.
• The third was another solo shot, leading off the sixth. That tied the game at 6.
• And the fourth was leading off the eighth inning. This one tied the game at 8. The Jays would score two more in the inning. Eric Hinske tripled and scored on a Bobby Kielty sac fly. Mike Bordick homered in the next at-bat.

On the pitching side:

• Pete Walker started and went 5 (plus two batters, giving up a home run and a triple to start the sixth) innings, allowing 3 earned. He pitched in 23 games that year, 7 starts with a 4.88 ERA. He had an eight-year career, four years with the Jays. He became our bullpen coach in 2011 and the pitching coach after the 2012 season.
• Vinnie Chulk relieved. He got a fly out and then went walk, triple (3 RBI, Marlon Anderson) and a home run (Toby Hall). He gave up 3 earned, getting just one out. He worked out of the Jays bullpen for the first four years of an eight-year career.
• Dan Reichert got the last two outs of the sixth. He pitched the seventh, giving up a solo homer, and got two outs in the eighth, giving up another run. He went 2.1 innings, allowing 5 hits, 2 walks 2 earned, with 3 strikeouts. Dan had a five-year MLB career; the last was this season with the Jays. He had a 6.06 ERA in 15 appearances.
• Trever Miller got the last out of the eighth and pitched the ninth, getting the win. Miller had a 13-year career. He pitched in 79 games for the Jays that year with a 4.61 ERA. He played for eight MLB teams and returned to the Jays in 2011, making six appearances.

Delgado had six RBI and 16 total bases and a .724 WPA. The four home runs brought him to 41 on the season. He’d finish with 42, the second-highest total of his career. He’s the Jays all-time leader in home runs with 336 and had 473 in his MLB career.

Also having good games: Reed Johnson (2 for 4, .201 WPA), Eric Hinske (1 for 4, triple, walk, .193 WPA) and Orlando Hudson (1 for 3, home run, .109 WPA).

The win put the Jays at 84-75 on the season, making them third (where they would finish) in the AL East, 14.5 games back of the Yankees.

27 Years Ago

Joe Carter became the Jays all-time leader in home runs with his 203rd (and last) with the Jays. It came in a 4-3 win over the Orioles.

Carter is now #5 on out list, behind Delgado, Bautista, Encarnacion and Wells.

In his 16-year career, Joe had 396 home runs (plus six in the playoffs), which puts him 62nd in MLB history.