Nationals hit back-to-back-to-back-to-back home runs for second time in three seasons
The Washington Nationals looked like they might have wasted a brilliant outing from Stephen Strasburg on Sunday, when the All-Star righty left the game knotted at 1 in the eighth inning.
That would not last for much longer.
Strasburg’s pinch hitter, Howie Kendrick, launched a go-ahead home run to center field, and Trea Turner, Adam Eaton and Anthony Rendon followed him up with back-to-back-to-back home runs.
What's better than back-to-back-to-back jacks?
Back-to-back-to-back-to-BACK jacks. 😱😱 pic.twitter.com/Iqh3KFehVo— MLB (@MLB) June 9, 2019
San Diego Padres reliever Craig Stammen coughed up all four home runs, three of which came on sinkers left right over the plate. He finally ended the gruesome stretch by striking out Juan Soto, but the righty was lifted after giving up a single to Matt Adams one batter later.
The single outing raised Stammen’s ERA a full run 3.27 to 4.27.
The home runs proved not only memorable but key for the game, since the Padres scored in the bottom of the ninth inning. The power show proved to make all the difference in the game and handed Strasburg his seventh win of the year.
Four straight homers puts Washington in the history books
The Nationals accomplished the same feat just two years ago with four entirely different players — Brian Goodwin, Wilmer Difo, Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman — although Rendon added a fifth home run later in the inning for good measure.
This is only the ninth time a team has hit four straight home runs, and the Nationals are the only team to have done it twice. Six of them have occurred since 2006, although the most recent team before the Nationals was the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2010.
Four straight home runs used to be among the rarest occurrences in baseball since it didn’t happen in a major league game until 1961. But with home runs leaving the park at a historic pace, it’s no surprise that records continue to fall.
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