What are the odds?

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - In the more than 125 year history of major league baseball*, just a dozen players have hit four home runs in a nine-inning game. On this date in 2002, Shawn Green of the Los Angeles Dodgers became the 12th, but the second three weeks! On May 2 Mike Cameron of the Seattle Mariners had a four home run game against the Chicago White Sox. Green hit his in a 16-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. Cameron hit his in a 15-4 victory over the Sox in Chicago.

It had never happened twice in the same season before. It never happened in consecutive seasons - until 2003 when Carlos Delgado hit four HRs on September 25.

Here are the 4-home runs in a 9-inning game boomers:

Bobby Lowe, Boston Beaneaters May 30, 1894
Ed Delahanty, Philadelphia Phillies July 13, 1896
Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees June 3, 1932
Gil Hodges, Brooklyn Dodgers August 31, 1950
Joe Adcock, Milwaukee Braves July 31, 1954
Rocky Colavito, Cleveland Indians June 10, 1959
Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants April 30, 1961
Bob Horner, Atlanta Braves July 6, 1986
Mark Whiten, St. Louise Cardinals September 7, 1993
Mike Cameron, Seattle Mariners May 2, 2002
Shawn Green, Los Angeles Dodgers May 23, 2002
Carlos Delgado, Toronto Blue Jays September 25, 2003

Chuck Klein (1936) and Mike Schmidt (1976) of the Phillies also four home runs in a game, but in ten innings.  And Pat Seerey of the White Sox did it in 1948 in eleven innings.

CONTRIBTING SOURCES:
Four HRs in a game details
May 2, 2002 details
May 23, 2002 details

* The National League was established in 1876. The American League came along in 1901.

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