On this date 60 years ago, Ernie Banks cranked three home runs in a game for the first of four times in his career.
It was Aug. 4, 1955, and Banks homered off three different Pirates pitchers in an 11-10 Cubs victory at Wrigley Field. The last of Banks’ homers, a two-run shot in the eighth, gave the Cubs the lead for good.
Banks had seven RBIs and four runs scored in the game.
He would add three more three-homer games during his career. Those came on Sept. 14, 1957; May 29, 1962; and June 9, 1963.
Only 13 major leaguers since 1951 have hit three home runs in a game four times or more in their career.
That group includes:
Sammy Sosa
Mark McGwire
Dave Kingman
Carlos Delgado
Joe Carter
Willie Stargell
Alex Rodriguez
Aramis Ramirez
Albert Pujols
Larry Parrish
Steve Finley
Barry Bonds
Ernie Banks
Banks stands out from the rest of this list because his career started much earlier than anyone else here. Banks debuted in 1953 and was second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1954. The next oldest player on the list is Willie Stargell, who didn’t debut until 1962.
