There were 12,891 fans scattered about Comiskey Park on Thursday night. In years to come, hundreds of thousands will swear they were there to see Seattle’s Mike Cameron tie a major-league record by blasting four home runs against the White Sox.
Cameron, a former Sox outfielder, belted two home runs in Seattle’s 10-run first inning. Bret Boone, batting immediately before Cameron, also hit two home runs in the inning, the first time in major-league history teammates had hit two home runs apiece in the same inning.
The Mariners salvaged the last game of the three-game series with a 15-4 rout. Sox starter Jon Rauch was touched for eight runs, five earned, on six hits in one-third of an inning. Former Sox pitcher James Baldwin (3-1) was credited with the win for the Mariners.
“It was like MJ when he hit those six threes against Portland,” Cameron said.
“I just shrugged my shoulders. I told the guys on the bench, `I don’t know. I’m just putting a good swing on the ball.”‘
Cameron, 29, came into the game in a 4-for-37 slump and with one RBI in 11 games. He hadn’t homered since April 15, a span of 41 at-bats. Boone had been struggling as well.
“A thing of beauty,” Cameron said of the back-to-back homers with Boone.
He became the 13th major-leaguer and the fourth American League player to hit four home runs in a game. He also robbed Sox outfielder Magglio Ordonez of a bid for a grand slam with a leaping catch in the bottom of the third.
“Mike put on a pretty good show,” Sox manager Jerry Manuel said. “You have to applaud the young man. You have to be excited for Mike. . . . He’s a tremendous young man. He gave us everything he had when he was here.”
The four home runs came on consecutive at-bats over five innings. In Cameron’s fifth at-bat, in the seventh, Sox reliever Mike Porzio hit him in the hip with a pitch. In his final plate appearance, in the ninth, Cameron lined out deep to right field as Jeff Liefer made a leaping catch at the front of the warning track.
“I went for it on my last at-bat,” Cameron said. “I tried to put a good swing on the ball.”
“I didn’t look at it as history,” Porzio said. “I’m just trying to get the guy out. He had a great night. I still have a job to do when I’m out there.”
Cameron received a standing ovation from the fans as he trotted to the Mariners’ dugout. “This couldn’t have happened at a better place,” he said. “It was very, very special.”
And he had a light-hearted reaction to his night of fame.
“It’s something to go next to my name besides being traded for Ken Griffey Jr.,” he said, smiling. “I felt like I was king of the hill today.”
After Ichiro Suzuki was hit by a pitch leading off the game, Boone homered. Cameron followed with a 405-foot blast to dead center off Rauch.
Two outs later, Boone homered on Jim Parque’s first pitch. Cameron then worked the count full on Parque before homering to center again.
“I’ve hit three in a game twice,” Boone said. “There’s a big difference between hitting four and hitting three. It’s probably something I’ll never ever see live again.”
There had been only 39 previous instances of a player hitting two home runs in an inning. Eric Karros was the last to do it, on Aug. 22, 2000, for the Dodgers. Mark McGwire was the last AL player to do it, on Sept. 22, 1996, for Oakland.
Mark Whiten was the last player to homer four times in a game, doing it Sept. 7, 1993, for St. Louis in the second game of a doubleheader. Rocky Colavito was the last to do it in the AL, on June 10, 1959, for Cleveland. Mike Schmidt of the Phillies was the last player to hit homers in four consecutive at-bats, against the Cubs in 1976.
Cameron “had a heck of a night,” Seattle manager Lou Piniella said. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. The guys we talked about needing to get going all homered tonight.”
Baldwin pitched seven innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.
“If anybody could do it, I was hoping Cam could,” Baldwin said. “He almost got the fifth. I’ll never forget this game.”
Deja vu all over again
Bret Boone and Mike Cameron hit back-to-back home runs twice in the first inning Thursday. Here’s a breakdown of the Mariners’ 10 runs in the inning:
– Ichiro Suzuki hit by pitch.
– Bret Boone homers to right, scoring Suzuki.
– Mike Cameron homers to center.
– John Olerud doubles to right.
– Ruben Sierra safe at first on Ray Durham’s error.
– Carlos Guillen singles to left, scoring Olerud.
– Mark McLemore reaches on bunt single.
– Ben Davis singles to center, scoring Sierra.
– Jeff Cirillo hits a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Guillen.
Jim Parque relieves Jon Rauch.
– Suzuki grounds into fielder’s choice, scoring McLemore.
– Boone homers to right, scoring Suzuki.
– Cameron homers to center.
– Olerud grounds out to first.
– 10 runs, 8 hits, 1 error
A solo effort
All four of Mike Cameron’s home runs were solo shots.
Homer No. 1
%% INNING COUNT OUTS DISTANCE
1st 1-2 0 405 feet
Homer No. 2
INNING COUNT OUTS DISTANCE
1st 3-2 2 425 feet
Homer No. 3
INNING COUNT OUTS DISTANCE
3rd 0-1 2 412 feet
Homer No. 4
INNING COUNT OUTS DISTANCE
5th 2-1 0 412 feet %%
