Through the years, many batters have hit home runs that do not appear as part of their record. Most of these apparent homers were lost due to inclement weather conditions such as rain-outs. However, there have been quite a few four-baggers that have been ultimately credited as some other event in the record of the game due to human error on the field. Base-runners and umpires account for most of these errors.
The following is an incomplete list of home runs that were lost for one reason or another. Go to those affected by weather; go to those lost due to other causes; go to those from the minor leagues.
Page Updated: 4/16/2024
...
5/16/1885: Tip O'Neill of St. Louis Browns (AA) homered in the fourth inning against the Baltimore Orioles. The game, played in St. Louis, was rained out.
8/22/1887: Ed Williamson of Chicago (NL) homered at Boston. The game was rained out in the fourth inning with the score 1-1.
10/6/1887: In St. Louis, Tip O'Neill homered off Elton Chamberlain of Louisville in to the top of the ninth but the game was called for darkness before the inning ended, wiping out the home run.
7/14/1908: Josh Clarke of the Indians hit a homer in the first inning in New York but before the top half of the frame was completed, the game was washed out by heavy rain.
9/3/1910: Jimmy Archer of the Cubs homered vs. the Cardinals at home. The game was rained out in the fourth inning with the Cubs leading, 3-1. (Archer had also tripled and had driven in all 3 runs.)
9/24/1911: Jimmy Doyle of the Cubs homered vs. Boston at home. The game was rained out in the second inning with the Cubs leading, 3-2.
9/11/1912: Heinie Zimmerman of the Cubs homered at Boston. The game was rained out in the fourth inning with the Cubs leading, 3-2.
5/29/1913: Art Devlin hit a home run in a game against Brooklyn in Boston with a man on base. This blast came in the second inning but was lost to rain.
7/21/1916: Brooklyn was rained out in Pittsburgh in the fourth inning. Billy Hinchman of the Pirates smashed a solo homer in the bottom of the third off Jack Coombs. In the bottom of the first frame, Max Carey was ejected by Al Orth over a call at first base.
7/17/1922: Joe Judge hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first in a game against the Browns. Heavy rains canceled the game in the bottom of the third with Washington ahead 5-1.
8/4/1922: Ray Powell of the Braves hit an inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the ninth inning but the inning was wiped out when they could not finish. The rain made play impossible and the game reverted back to the end of the eighth inning with the Pirates winning, 3-0.
7/31/1924: Kiki Cuyler lost a home run when a game was rained out and the score reverted back to the previous inning. The Pirates were playing in New York when the storm appeared in the third inning. The Giants, behind 5-0 at this point, started stalling to try to prevent the game from becoming official. In the top of the seventh, Cuyler homered into the lower right field seats off Jack Bentley. However, the game was called after a 30-minute rain delay in the bottom of the frame and the seventh inning was wiped off the books.
5/16/1925: With the Yankees playing in Detroit, Earle Combs hit a solo homer into the right field bleachers off Ed Wells to lead off the top of the ninth inning. Wells had just entered the game. However, with two out in the bottom of the frame, home plate umpire Brick Owens stopped the game due to the weather conditions, since there lightning and thunder in the area and the sky had grown dark due to the storm. Combs lost what would have been his first major league dinger to the poor conditions. Eleven other batters' statistics were affected by the loss of the ninth inning.
6/29/1925: Giant Travis Jackson homered to lead off the bottom of the second inning at the Polo Grounds off Bill Ryan of Boston. The game was halted later in the half-inning and then cancelled by Umpire Bill Klem because of the field conditions after a heavy rain.
7/9/1925: St. Louis Brown player-manager George Sisler homered into the right field bleachers at home off the Yankees' Herb Pennock. The blow came in the first inning with one man on base. The game was rained out in the fourth inning.
7/15/1925: Tommy Griffith of the Cubs homered off Johnny Couch in Philadelphia with one out and no one on in the seventh inning. The bottom of that inning was not completed and the game called because of rain so the score reverted back to the previous inning and Griffith's home run was eliminated.
7/22/1925: In a game at Philadelphia both the Phillies' Lew Fonseca and the Pirates' Pie Traynor lost homers to the rain. Fonseca hit a solo shot off Vic Aldridge in the second inning. Traynor's blast came in the third with a man aboard. The game was called in the bottom of the fifth with the Bucs ahead 7-3.
10/4/1925: Al Simmons of the Athletics smacked a solo homer off Dutch Ruether in Washington in the top of the fourth inning. The game was washed out after the Senators batted in the bottom of that frame.
6/23/1926: The Phillies and the Giants attempted to play a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds but rain washed it out. The Phils had scored five runs in the first inning, including a three-run homer by George Harper off Virgil Barnes.
6/21/1928: Babe Ruth hit his 26th home run of the season in the first inning of game two at Yankee Stadium. This two-run blast tied the game with the Philadelphia Athletics, 2-2. Philadelphia scored again in the top of the third inning but the game was called because of rain and the muddy conditions.
6/22/1928: In the top of the seventh inning at Wrigley Field, the Cardinals scored two runs on a homer by Jim Bottomley to take a 6-1 lead over the Cubs on Ladies Day. However, rain stopped the game during the top half of that frame and the score reverted back to the last complete inning, so Bottomley lost his sixteenth home run of the season.
6/1/1932: The Cardinals beat the Cubs, 1-0, at Wrigley Field in a seven-inning, rain-shortened game. Pepper Martin and Eddie Delker both homered in the top of the eighth inning but lost them when the game was called and the score reverted to the seventh inning. Delker was 0 for his last 18 at the time of the homer and had never slugged a four-bagger in the majors at the time.
6/28/1933: Roy Johnson of the Red Sox hit a solo shot off Bump Hadley of the Browns in the top of the fourth inning. The ball landed on the roof of Sportsmans Park. That shot gave the Sox a 4-3 lead but the game was washed out after four innings.
5/29/1934: In the top of the eighth, Dick Porter and Rick Ferrell of Red Sox hit homers. However, before the inning was over, heavy rains came, and after a 44 minute wait the game called. The score after seven innings was 2-1 in favor of the Red Sox, so that was how the game ended.
6/12/1934: Babe Ruth homered at Yankee Stadium off Bobo Newsom of the St. Louis Browns. The drive came in the fourth inning to start the scoring for the home team. After the frame, the Yankees led, 3-1, but rain washed out the remainder of the contest. This would have been Ruth's tenth home run of the season. Debs Garms of the Browns also had hit a homer before the game was terminated.
5/29/1935: The Yankees scored three runs in the top of the seventh against the Senators. In the bottom of the inning Jake Powell hit a homer. The rain, which had started to fall earlier, became so hard that the game could not be continued. The score reverted back to the end of the sixth inning and 7-4 New York win.
6/16/1935: Lou Gehrig and Frank Crosetti each lost a homer because of rain. As part of a seven-run fourth inning in the first game of a scheduled doubleheader, Crosetti hit his shot off Ted Lyons with one on. Gehrig's drive came as the first batter to face Leslie Tietje, also with one man on base.
6/6/1937: Al Simmons of the Senators hit a grand slam in the top of the first inning in the second game at Cleveland. The contest was washed out after three innings.
8/21/1937: Jimmie Foxx led off the bottom of the second inning with a homer off Jimmy DeShong that cleared the left field wall and the street behind Fenway Park. It was the only run that the Red Sox scored in four innings as the Senators were winning, 5-1, when umpire George Moriarty called the game due to a torrential downpour.
5/22/1939: Charlie Keller hit a solo home run for the Yankees against Cleveland leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, cutting Cleveland's lead to 3-1. The next two batters singled, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate, at which point the game was called due to rain.
5/27/1939: Hank Greenberg of the Tigers hit a two-run home run off Browns pitcher George Gill in the bottom of the third inning. The game was rained out after 3-1/2 innings with Detroit leading 4-3.
5/21/1940: Frankie Hayes of the Athletics hit a grand slam off Browns pitcher Bob Harris in the top of the fifth inning. The game was rained out after 4-1/2 innings with Philadelphia leading 6-0.
6/15/1945: The second game of the Dodgers and Braves double header in Boston was rained out after three innings. In the second, Chuck Workman had homered off of Tom Seats. The game was tied 3-3 when it was called.
9/30/1945: Pat Seerey of the Indians hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning of game 1 of a scheduled doubleheader. The game was called due to rain in the top of the fifth with the score tied 1-1. These were the 8th and 9th missed games of the season for Cleveland, setting an MLB record.
8/26/1947: In the top of the second of the second game of a doubleheader, Clyde McCullough of the Cubs hit a home run off of Giants hurler Sheldon Jones. The game was rained out in the bottom of the inning with the Cubs ahead 1-0.
8/29/1947: Cleveland's Hank Edwards hit a two run homer with no one out in the bottom of the first inning of a game at Municipal Stadium. The game was stopped four batters later because of rain.
9/21/1947: Three home runs were lost due to a rainout in Detroit. The Indians' Joe Gordon and Les Fleming hit back-to-back shots to lead off the second inning off Hal Newhouser. Vic Wertz of the Tigers had hit a run blast in the first off Don Black. Those were the only runs when the game was stopped in the top of the fourth.
5/12/1948: Joe DiMaggio hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning at Yankee Stadium off Gene Bearden of the Indians. There was one out at the time. The game was rained out in the bottom of the fourth.
6/26/1949: Dino Restelli of the Pirates lost a home run during Game Two of the June 26, 1949 Brooklyn at Pittsburgh doubleheader. The game was cancelled due to rain and the curfew after three innings. Restelli had hit a home run in the first inning off of Rex Barney. The game was delayed by rain in the second inning and then stopped with the Dodgers leading 5-4 after three innings. The Pennsylvania Sunday curfew law prohibited any inning from beginning after 6:45 pm (or any play after 7:00 pm).
7/27/1949: Three homers were lost in a rain-shortened game at Yankee Stadium. In the bottom of the first, Tommy Henrich homered off Cleveland's Bob Feller with two on and no one out. In the top of the second, Joe Gordon hit a solo shot with one out off Ed Lopat. One inning later, Cleveland pitcher Sam Zoldak also hit a solo homer with one out off Lopat.
7/29/1949: Ralph Kiner hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning at Forbes Field before 30,000 fans. In the top of the fourth a heavy downpour halted play with two outs and the 2-0 lead still intact for the Pirates. That would have been Kiner's 28th homer of the season in the year that he hit 54.
8/28/1949: Larry Doby of the Indians homered off Boston's Joe Dobson in the bottom of the third inning with two out and no one on. The game was called in the top of the fourth because of darkness. It was the second game of a double header after the first game took over three hours with a long rain delay.
7/24/1950: In a game that had been rescheduled from 5/10 due to rain in Pittsburgh, Eddie Waitkus lost a home run. In the top of the seventh inning with the Pirates ahead, 2-1, the Phillies rallied to take the lead as Waitkus hit a two-run shot with two outs. There had been a 34-minute rain delay at the end of the second inning and after the homer, the game was delayed for an hour and two minutes before it was called. According to the rules, the score reverted back to the end of the sixth inning since the lead had changed and the home team had not had its turn at bat in the inning. Thus all events in the top of the seventh were eliminated.
8/29/1950: Tommy Byrne, a Yankee pitcher, hit a home run in the bottom of the second inning of the second game of a scheduled doubleheader. It came with 1 on and 1 out off Sam Zoldak and put the Yanks ahead 4 to 0. In the bottom of the third, the game was called because of rain.
9/10/1950: The Phillies' Jackie Mayo homered in the bottom of the sixth inning before the game was called due to rain. Since the sixth inning had not been completed, the score (and stats) reverted back to the previous full inning because the lost homer left the Phillies still trailing, by a score of 3-2.
5/23/1951: The Tigers were ahead 7-3 at Yankee Stadium when the game was washed out in the top of the fourth. Both Bud Souchock and Joe DiMaggio lost homers.
6/1/1951: Vic Wertz led off the bottom of the second in Detroit with a shot off Allie Reynolds. Johnny Mize homered to lead off the Yankee fourth against Virgil Trucks. The game was rained out after 4 1/2 innings.
8/25/1951: At the Polo Grounds two batters had homers rained out. Bobby Thomson homered off Cardinal Al Brazle with one out in the second inning and Stan Musial hit one off Al Corwin to lead off the third inning.
6/21/1952: Steve Souchock of the Tigers lost a two-run homer to the rain. The game against the Athletics was called in the bottom of the fourth.
8/2/1952: Hank Sauer hit a homer at Brooklyn in the third inning with two on base. The pitcher was Ben Wade. The game was rained out in the fifth inning. Sauer ended the season tied for the home run lead with Ralph Kiner with 37.
5/12/1953: Carlos Bernier of the Pirates led off the top of the second inning with a homer off Cincinnati's Eddie Erautt for the first run of the game. With one out in the bottom of the fifth and the Pirates ahead, 5-1, the game was rained out. Bernier hit three homers in his career.
8/3/1953: Duke Snider lost a homer to the rain in Milwaukee. The blow came as he led off the eighth inning with Lew Burdette pitching for the Braves. The game was called with the Dodgers leading 2-0 during the bottom of the eighth. The records reverted back to the end of the seventh and a 1-0 Dodgers win.
4/20/1955: Felipe Montemayor of the Pirates hit a three-run home run (which would have been his first major league homer) off Giants pitcher Ruben Gomez in the bottom of the third inning. The game was rained out in the top of the fourth inning with Pittsburgh leading 3-0.
4/24/1955: In the second game of a scheduled double-header, Dee Fondy and Harry Chiti of the Cubs both hit home runs off Reds pitcher Corky Valentine in the bottom of the second inning. The game was rained out in the bottom of the third inning with Chicago leading 3-0.
5/25/1955: Pittsburgh's Gene Freese rounded the bases while the Dodger outfield tried to track down his hit at Forbes Field. It came off Billy Loes in the second with no one on and was rained out.
6/12/1955: In what would have been the second game of a doubleheader in Philadelphia, Wally Post of Cincinnati homered off Ron Negray of the Phillies in the first with one out and two on base. Andy Seminick homered off Rudy Minarcin in the bottom of the second with one out and no one on base. The game was washed out in the bottom of the third inning.
7/23/1955: The Senators were rained out in Detroit in the second game of a doubleheader. Eddie Yost led off the game with a homer and Frank Lary hit one in the bottom of the third. It would have been Lary's first career home run. The game was called in the top of the fourth inning.
8/13/1956: Peewee Reese homered in the top of the first inning with no one on and one out but had it rained out.
4/26/1957: Cal Neeman homered in the second inning off the Cardinals' Sam Jones in Wrigley Field. There 2 were out and 1 man on base at the time. The game was rained out.
8/18/1957: Bob Speake homered in the bottom of the first at Wrigley Field in the second game of a doubleheader. This two run homer was lost to rain.
6/1/1958: Al Kaline homered to lead off the bottom of the second inning against Chicago's Ray Moore but the game was rained out after 3 1/2 innings. This homer would have given Kaline 400 for his career.
6/18/1958: Washington's Neil Chrisley hit a home run off Detroit's George Susce in the top of the first with one on and one out. The game was rained out in the top of the fourth.
6/18/1958: Milwaukee's Eddie Mathews homered at home against the Cubs. The game was rained out in the second inning with the Braves leading, 1-0.
6/25/1958: Bob Boyd and Gus Triandos of the Orioles homered off Jim Bunning at Tiger Stadium in the first inning only to see them washed out. Boyd's blast came with one out and no one on while Triandos hit his two batters later with a man aboard. Bunning didn't last through the inning.
6/12/1959: Harmon Killebrew hit a homer to left field with two outs in the bottom of the first inning of a game in Washington. It came off Herb Score of the Indians. The game was halted by rain after that hit.
8/23/1959: In game 2, the Orioles' Bob Nieman homered to right field off Jim Bunning of Detroit in the top of the first inning. The game was rained out in the bottom of the first.
5/6/1961: The Senators were rained out in Cleveland in the bottom of the second inning. In the first frame, the Tribe's Woodie Held smashed a grand slam over the right field fence off Hal Woodeshick. The blow came with no one out. The Nats scored an unearned run in the second, leaving the score 4-1 at the time of the postponement.
7/17/1961: The Yankees were leading 4-1 in the top of the fifth in Baltimore when the game was rained out. In that game, scheduled as the second game of a doubleheader, both Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hit homers off Hal Brown. Maris' came in the first with two out and no one on while Mantle blasted his leading off the fourth. In addition Marv Throneberry of the Orioles homered in the second with the bases empty as did Clete Boyer of the Yankees in the 3rd, making a total of 4 homers lost to rain in this one game.
8/6/1961: In a game at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium, two hitters lost home runs to rain: Jerry Adair of the Orioles and Tom Satriano of the Angels. It would have been Satriano's first major league homer.
5/28/1962: Bobby Del Greco homered off Yankee Bud Daley in Kansas City but lost it to rain. The drive came in the first inning with one out and no one on base.
6/24/1962: In the third inning of a game at New York, Houston's Norm Larker hit a home run with 2 men on and 2 out off the Mets' Roger Craig. This game was rained out.
4/17/1963: Al Luplow had a homer rained out against the Senators in Cleveland. The hit came off Tom Cheney with one out and no one on in the first inning.
4/29/1963: In a game at Comiskey Park, Chicago centerfielder Jim Landis led off the first inning with a homer to left. It came off Yankee Bill Stafford and was the only hit in the one and a half innings played before the game was rained out.
5/1/1963: Bob Aspromonte of Houston hit a home run leading off the second inning of a game in New York that was rained out.
5/17/1963: A doubleheader between the Tigers and Senators in Washington was cancelled in the second inning of the first game after a 1 hour and 12 minute rain delay. In the first inning, the Senators' Bobo Osborne hit a grand slam off Don Mossi over the right field fence. In the top of the second, Al Kaline hit a solo homer off Bennie Daniels into the Washington bullpen. Those two blasts accounted for all the runs in the game when the rains came to wash it all away. Like the one he lost on 6/1/58, this one could have given Kaline 400 for his career.
4/22/1964: Al Smith of Cleveland hit a home run in Kansas City in a game that was called after 1-1/3 innings with score tied 1-1. Smith's "teammates kidded Smith that he hit the ball so high and far over the left field fence that he brought down the rain with the blow."
6/12/1964: Lou Clinton of the Angels hit a three run shot off of Hank Aguirre in the top of the first in Detroit. The game was called off after a 50 minute delay in the top of the second with the Angels still ahead 3-0.
7/6/1965: Rocky Colavito and Leon Wagner hit back-to-back homers to lead off the top of the fourth inning for the Indians. The homers came off Chicago's Joe Horlen and the game was rained out.
6/13/1966: The Red Sox played the Indians in Cleveland and three home runs were lost to the rain. Boston's George Scott hit a three-run clout in the first inning, while both Jose Azcue and Leon Wagner of the Indians hit four-baggers. Azcue's came in the third and Wagner's in the fourth inning as a pinch hitter.
8/12/1966: Atlanta's Joe Torre hits a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning off of Philadelphia's Rick Wise. The game was called off in the bottom of the third inning due to rain with Atlanta leading 1-0.
6/10/1967: Tommy Davis of the Mets homered to left field off the Cubs Bill Hands to lead off the second inning of a game in Chicago. The Saturday afternoon game was rained out after four innings.
6/29/1967: Mack Jones of the Braves homered off Mike Cuellar of the Astros in the bottom of the second at the Launching Pad in Atlanta. The blast came with two runners on base but the game was rained out in the middle of the fourth with Atlanta leading, 5-1.
6/20/1969: Yankee Joe Pepitone hit a grand slam off Mike Nagy at Fenway Park. It came in the first inning with no one out in a game called because of rain one batter later.
8/12/1969: Hank Aaron hit a solo homer in the bottom of the first in Atlanta off Grant Jackson of the Phillies. The game was rained out after three innings. The blast would have been the 540th of the Hammer's career.
4/21/1970: The Dodgers were in Montreal to play the Expos at Jarry Park in an afternoon contest. Willie Crawford smacked a three-run homer for Los Angeles in the first inning. Adolfo Phillips hit a homer in the bottom of the first and another in the third. Andy Kosko added a homer for LA in the third. These four round-trippers were lost when the game was called after a 70-minute rain delay in the bottom of the third with the Dodgers ahead, 7-3.
6/11/1970: Frank Howard was rained out of a 2 run homer in Kansas City. It came in the first inning off Bill Butler with 1 out. The game was called in the top of the second.
5/5/1971: Jim Spencer of the Angels homered off Pat Dobson at Baltimore in the first inning with one out and no one on base. The game was halted after the first inning by rain.
5/25/1971: Two homers were lost due to rain in Baltimore. Frank Robinson homered off Cleveland's Alan Foster with two out and no one on in the bottom of the first inning. Ken Harrelson hit one in the second with one out and no one on off Oriole Pat Dobson.
6/6/1971: In the top of the 4th inning of the scheduled second game, Tiger Gates Brown homered off of the While Sox Joel Horlen. The game was called after it was hit following a 35 minute rain delay. After about an hour the sun was shining, and the Tigers were quite upset the umpires called the game so quickly.
8/26/1971: Mike Andrews hit a homer in the top of the ninth inning at Baltimore. That hit tied the game for the White Sox and another run scored later in the inning to put them ahead. However, before the half inning could be completed, rain halted play. Since the top half of the inning changed the game result, no records from the ninth counted and the Orioles won, 8-7. The homer came with one out and the bases empty off Eddie Watt when Andrews pinch hit for pitcher Bart Johnson.
6/14/1972: Matty Alou of St. Louis homered off LA's Don Sutton in the third inning. It came with no one on and one out, but was rained out at Busch Stadium.
9/20/1972: Milwaukee's George Scott homered leading off the bottom of the 4th off Mel Stottlemyre of the Yankees with no score at the time. The game was rained out before the 4th inning was completed.
6/5/1973: Rod Carew and Harmon Killebrew both lost homers in a rained out game in Cleveland. Carew led off the game for the Twins with a homer off Dick Bosman. In the third, Killebrew hit one off Bosman with one on and two out.
6/29/1973: Rico Petrocelli homered off Jerry Bell in Fenway Park but lost it to rain. The hit came in the first inning with two out and two on.
4/14/1974: In Atlanta, Reds first baseman Tony Perez homered off Roric Harrison with one on in the first inning. These were the only runs of a two-inning rainout.
6/18/1974: Game 2 was rained out after KC's Amos Otis homered in Milwaukee off Bill Travers. The hit came in the top of the first with two out and no one on.
5/30/1975: Deron Johnson of the White Sox homered in the second inning at Tiger Stadium only to see rain cancel the game before it was official.
7/24/1975: In the top of the first in a game against the Rangers, the Indians John Lowenstein hit a homer of off Steve Hergan. Cleveland scored another run for a 2-0 lead before a severe thunderstorm hit resulting in the game being called before the half inning was completed.
8/25/1975: In the top of the eleventh, Cliff Johnson hit a two-out home run to give the Astros a 4-3 lead over the Cardinals. However, with two outs in the bottom of the inning, and the Astros one out from victory, a thunderstorm hit, and after a 2:19 rain delay, the game was called. Under existing rules, if the visiting team took the lead in the top of an inning that was not yet complete, the score and records reverted back to the last completed inning. Therefore, Johnson lost his home run, which would have given him one in his 6th consecutive game.
6/2/1976: Atlanta's Earl Williams lost two home runs to rain in a game at Fulton County Stadium. He led off both the second and third innings with homers to left off the Padres' Alan Foster. The game was called in the bottom of the fourth with the Braves ahead 5-0.
6/17/1976: Aurelio Rodriguez of the Tigers capped off a four-run top of the sixth inning with a two-run homer which tied the game with the Twins at 4-4. However, the game was called due to rain in the bottom of the frame before the Twins could complete their time at bat or score a run. The score thus reverted to the end of the fifth, giving Dave Goltz a shutout and the Twins 4-0 victory.
7/26/1976: Pirate Dave Parker hit a solo homer off Cardinal John Denny in the top of the second inning with one out. It was the only run of a game called in the middle of the fourth inning due to rain.
8/5/1976: Montreal's Wayne Garrett homered off Oscar Zamora of the Cubs in the bottom of the first with no one on base in the second game of a doubleheader. The game was rained out after an inning and a half.
4/20/1977: Tim McCarver of the Phillies homered off the Cubs' Rick Reuschel to lead off the top of the second inning. The game was rained out after four and a half innings.
4/15/1978: Oscar Gamble of San Diego hit a two-run homer in the first inning off the Giants' Ed Halicki with one out. The game, at San Diego, was called in the fourth inning because of rain.
4/24/1979: Jerry Morales homered off pitcher Jim Slaton in Milwaukee. The blow came in the second inning with one out and no one on base. The game was rained out.
4/25/1979: For the second consecutive day, a homer was lost to rain in Milwaukee. Jim Wohlford was the victim this time as he homered off Milt Wilcox in the fourth inning with one out and no one on.
6/8/1979: Two more rained out homers in Milwaukee. Lamar Johnson and Alan Bannister hit back-to-back drives to lead off the second inning. The pitcher was Bill Travers.
9/27/1979: Padre Dave Winfield homered off Mike LaCoss in Cincinnati. The hit occurred in the first inning with two on and one out and was lost to rain.
4/28/1980: Two players lost homers due to rain. Yankee Reggie Jackson hit a two run home run in the top of the third inning off Jim Palmer while Baltimore's Ken Singleton led off the bottom of the fourth with a home run off Mike Griffin. The game was called with the Yankees ahead 4-1 after four innings.
4/19/1981: Pitcher Frank Pastore of the Reds homered in the bottom of the third inning off the Cardinals' Silvio Martinez. There was no one on base and one out. The game was rained out.
5/15/1981: Graig Nettles homered off Seattle's Brian Allard in Yankee Stadium. It came in the first inning with two on and one out and was rained out in the third inning.
5/26/1981: In a game against the Giants, George Foster of the Reds hit a home run off Tom Griffin in the first inning with two men on and no one out. The game was rained out.
6/8/1981: Ruppert Jones of the Padres lost a homer to rain in Pittsburgh. It came off Jim Bibby in the first with one on and two out.
4/14/1983: Two Rangers lost homers off Rick Sutcliffe to the rain in Cleveland. Mike Richardt homered in the first with one out and no one on. (This would have increased his career total to 5.) Jim Sundberg homered with 1 on in the fourth and no one out.
6/14/1983: Two players lost home runs in a rained out game that lasted only one inning at Comiskey Park. Designated hitter Juan Beniquez of the Angels led off against Floyd Bannister with a homer. In the bottom of the inning, designated hitter Greg Luzinski hit a two run homer off Tommy John with two outs.
9/12/1983: Carl Yastrzemski hit a home run off Jim Palmer with one on and two out in the first inning of a game at Fenway Park. The game was rained out in the third inning. It would have been Yaz's 453rd and the last in his career.
4/15/1984: Mike Schmidt homered into the left field blue seats at Olympic Stadium, Montreal but lost it to rain.
4/22/1984: Darryl Motley of the Royals opened a game in Cleveland with a home run. The Indians were ahead, 6-1, when the game was rained out with two out in the bottom of the fourth inning.
5/29/1984: The Red Sox were retiring the numbers of Joe Cronin and Ted Williams on a rainy day. The game started on time and in the top of the first with a man on Kent Hrbek of the Twins homered off of Mike Brown. However, the rain resumed and the game never became official.
5/18/1986: Rookie Wally Joyner of the Angels, hit a two-run homer in the second inning of a game in Detroit. The game was called because of rain in the third inning. It would have been Joyner's sixteenth of the season.
5/19/1986: Ruppert Jones of the Angels hit a home run off Orioles pitcher Ken Dixon in the top of the second inning. The game was rained out in the bottom of the second inning with California leading 1-0.
6/22/1987: Tom Foley of the Expos hit a two-run home run off Cardinals pitcher Bob Forsch in the top of the second inning. The game was rained out after three innings with Montreal leading 2-1.
7/6/1987: Jack Clark of the Cardinals hit a two-run home run off Dodgers pitcher Rick Honeycutt in the bottom of the first inning. The game was rained out after four innings with St. Louis leading 3-2.
8/8/1988: Phil Bradley of the Phillies and Ryne Sandberg of the Cubs both homered in the 1st inning in the first scheduled game under the lights at Wrigley Field. The game was called in the fourth inning after a 2:10 rain delay and was replayed later.
4/9/1990: Lenny Dykstra of the Phillies had a home run washed out by rain in the first game of the season. It came off the Cubs' Greg Maddux in the third inning at Wrigley Field.
4/11/1990: The Indians were playing their first game of the season against the Yankees at home. The weather conditions were terrible, with a 36-degree temperature and a 12-mile-per-hour wind that made the wind chill 19 degrees. Snow stopped the game in the middle of the second inning for 59 minutes. In the bottom of the third, Cory Snyder hit a home run, having already doubled in the second frame. Snow started again in the fourth inning and the game was stopped with one out in the bottom of the inning. The Tribe was ahead 2-1 at the time.
4/14/1990: Lonnie Smith of the Braves hit a three-run home run off Reds pitcher Danny Jackson in the bottom of the third inning. The game was rained out after three innings with Cincinnati leading 9-4.
5/16/1990: Andy Van Slyke of the Pirates hit a home run off Reds pitcher Scott Scudder in the top of the third inning. The game was rained out in the bottom of the third inning with Pittsburgh leading 2-0.
8/5/1990: George Brett lost a homer to rain in Baltimore. The hit was off Ben McDonald in the first inning with no one on base. The game that lasted only 1/2 inning.
6/11/1991: Andy Van Slyke of the Pirates hit a home run off Dodgers pitcher Bob Ojeda in the bottom of the first inning. The game was rained out in the bottom of the second inning with Pittsburgh leading 1-0.
6/23/1992: With the Blue Jays visiting Arlington, TX, the game started with a sunny sky and 93-degree heat. Nolan Ryan, in the penultimate year of his career, was looking for his first victory of the season. He had struck out three batters (career strikeouts 5,571 through 5,573 for Ryan) in two innings. Dave Winfield hit a wind-aided solo homer to lead off the top of the second, his 419th career blast. However, a severe band of thunderstorms swept into the area and, after a 55-minute wait, the game was called off. Thus, Ryan lost the three punch-outs and Winfield lost what would have been his only career home run off fellow Hall of Famer Ryan.
6/4/1993: Bip Roberts of the Reds hit a home run off Cardinals pitcher Rene Arocha in the bottom of the first inning. The game was rained out in the top of the third inning with the game tied at 2.
5/31/1994: Eduardo Perez of the Angels hit a two-run home run to cap off a four-run first inning against the Indians in Cleveland. Julian Tavarez started the game for the Tribe before the game was called off with two out in the bottom of the first inning. The start of the game had been delayed by rain for 40 minutes and the game was halted by a delay of 1 hour and 42 minutes before being canceled.
6/20/1994: Lance Parrish hit a home run off the Phillies' Andy Carter in the bottom of the fourth of a game in Pittsburgh. It was rained out before the fifth inning could be played.
6/17/1996: Raul Mondesi had a three run homer and Todd Hollandsworth hit a two run shot for the Dodgers in the top of the first against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Cub pitcher Mike Campbell also allowed two other hits. After two batters in the bottom of the first and a 1:38 rain delay, those hits and the Dodgers 5-0 lead were wiped out.
6/19/1996: Scott Stahoviak hit a three run homer into the upper-deck in right field for the Twins off Dwight Gooden in the third inning at Yankee Stadium. The game was called in the top of the fourth inning with the Twins leading 5-1.
7/17/1996: Brian McRae led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run against the Pirates at Wrigley Field to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead. In the top of the second, the Pirates scored five runs, the last two coming on a home run by Pirates' leadoff hitter Carlos Garcia. Garcia was the last batter before the game was rained out.
9/6/1996: Ken Griffey Jr. homered off Jack McDowell at Jacobs Field in Cleveland. The blast came in the first inning but was rained out. Griffey finished the year with 49 homers.
6/14/1997: Gary Sheffield lost a grand slam to rain in an Interleague game against the Yankees. The game was played in Florida and was rained out in the bottom of the third with the Marlins ahead 5-4. The hit came off David Wells.
8/20/1997: Both Bernard Gilkey and Raul Mondesi lost homers to the rain. With the Dodgers playing in New York, Mondesi hit his home run off Bobby Jones in the top of the first and Gilkey followed with one in the bottom of the inning off Ramon Martinez.
9/4/1997: Cardinal Phil Plantier hit a solo homer at Coors Field in a game that was rained out in the bottom of the third inning.
5/18/2000: Scott Sanders started the game for the Indians at Jacobs Field, having been called up from AAA. The first two Tigers batters, Luis Polonia and Gregg Jefferies, homered off Sanders and after 3 1/2 innings the Tigers led, 5-0. The game was called after a rain delay of 2:37 and Sanders was released the next day by Cleveland. He did not pitch again in the majors, so his career stats end in 1999 - because of the rainout he is not given credit for any big league time in 2000!
7/16/2000: Four homers were lost to rain in Denver. Oakland's Jason Giambi and Ramon Hernandez each hit a dinger off Brian Bohanon with one man on base. Giambi connected in the first while Hernandez hit his in the fourth. Meanwhile, Larry Walker and Jeff Cirillo hit back to back homers off Tim Hudson in the third. Walker's came with one man on base.
7/19/2000: Florida's Mike Lowell homered off Atlanta's Andy Ashby to lead off the third but had it washed out.
7/28/2000: Albert Belle homered off the Indians' Dave Burba at Camden Yards in the first inning but the game was rained out in the fourth with Cleveland leading 4-3.
4/3/2002: Darrin Fletcher of the Blue Jays hit a home run off Dustin Hermanson of the Red Sox in the second inning of a game at Fenway Park. In the bottom of the inning, Jason Varitek homered off Luke Prokopec. Both blasts came with two out and no one on base. The game was called due to rain after two innings had been played.
6/27/2002: The Braves' Gary Sheffield homered to left off Pedro Astacio in the top of the first inning at Shea Stadium in New York. The blast came with one man on base and one out. Sheffield doubled to left-center in the third inning but both extra-base hits were lost to rain.
5/11/2003: The Cardinals were at Wrigley Field and a 23-MPH wind was blowing out to right field. In the bottom of the first, Moises Alou of the Cubs hit a 2-run homer off Brett Tomko to centerfield. In the top of the second, Albert Pujols hit a grand slam to leftfield off Matt Clement. Corey Patterson led off the bottom of the second with a homer to rightfield. In the top of the third, Tino Martinez hit a solo homer to leftfield. Troy O'Leary hit a 2-run homer to leftfield in the bottom of the third. In the top of the fourth, Martinez homered for the second time in the game. This time it went to rightfield and scored 3 runs. In the bottom half of the fourth, Alex Gonzalez hit a 2-run homer to leftfield. He was the last batter faced by Tomko. The game was rained out in the top of the fifth inning. The final count in this day's barrage: seven home runs and a score of 11-9 St. Louis ahead all lost to the weather.
6/6/2003: The Royals were rained out in Colorado after playing four innings. Preston Wilson led off the bottom of the second with a home run and Charles Johnson hit a two-run shot in the fourth. Both blasts came off Kris Wilson. The Rockies were leading 3-1 at the time of the postponement.
6/21/2003: The Mets and Yankees were rained out causing a day-night home-and-home doubleheader one week later. In the cancelled game, two players lost homers. Jeromy Burnitz hit a two-run shot off the Yankees' Mike Mussina in the bottom of the first inning and Todd Zeile hit a solo home run off Jeremy Griffiths of the Mets in the top of the fourth. The Yankees were leading in the middle of the fourth, 4-2, when the game was called due to rain.
7/27/2004: In a game at Camden Yards in Baltimore, two Orioles lost homers hit off Tim Wakefield of the Red Sox. Melvin Mora hit a solo shot in the first inning and B.J. Surhoff smacked a two-run shot in the second. The game was rained out with the Birds leading 4-2 with 2 out in the top of the third.
8/1/2004: The Expos were in Miami playing the Marlins. Montreal's Brad Wilkerson hit a two-run dinger with one out in the top of the third off Carl Pavano. The blast provided the only runs of the game which was rained out with one out in the top of the fourth.
8/14/2005: It was a battle of the Sox as the Pale Hose visited Fenway Park. Jermaine Dye led off the top of the fourth inning with a four-bagger off Matt Clement. The game was rained out before that half inning was completed with the White Sox leading Boston, 5-2.
04/29/2006: The Kansas City Royals loaded the bases against Esteban Loaiza and the Oakland Athletics in the bottom of the first inning. Reggie Sanders hit a grand slam with no one out but lost it to rain in the bottom of the third inning.
3/31/2008: It is opening day in St. Louis and Albert Pujols of the Cardinals hit a 385 foot solo shot to left center in the second off of the Rockies' Jeff Francis to give his team a 5-1 lead. In the bottom of the third with the same score, the rains came washing the game out and postponing the opener until the following evening.
5/15/2009: The Brewers played less than two complete innings in St. Louis before rain cancelled the contest. In the bottom of the second, Colby Rasmus hit a two-run homer to score the only runs of the abbreviated game.
10/1/2009: The Pirates and the Cubs ended their season series at Wrigley Field with three innings in a game that was stopped by rain. Lastings Milledge hit a two-run homer in the top of the first that was washed out by the inclement weather.
5/7/2010: The Tigers and Indians played four innings in Cleveland before the rain ended the game after a 2 hour and 12 minute wait. Three homers were lost to the weather. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run blast in the top of the first off David Huff. Grady Sizemore hit a solo shot in the bottom of the frame off Jeremy Bonderman and Travis Hafner hit a three-run homer off Bonderman in the third.
5/11/2011: After a two hour and 14 minute wait, the Oakland at Texas game was postponed with the Rangers ahead 7-0 after three and a half innings had been played. Texas scored all of its runs in the third, with four of them coming on Mitch Moreland's grand slam, which would have been the first of his career, off of Gio Gonzalez.
5/28/2013: The White Sox were hosting the Cubs in an Interleague contest. Welington Castillo hit a two-run homer in the top of the second inning that was later rained out. The four-bagger was surrendered by Chris Sale.
5/23/2014: Arizona's Aaron Hill hit a two-run home run in the top of the second inning at Citi Field off Bartolo Colon. Rain washed out the contest with the Mets in the middle of the fourth after a delay of more than two hours.
8/10/2016: Brian Dozier of the Twins led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run. The Astros and Twins were rained out after two innings and a 2 hour delay with the Twins leading, 5-0.
5/4/2017: Jay Bruce of the Mets homered in Atlanta with a man on in the fourth inning. The game was rained out before it could become a regulation contest.
7/25/2018: In the top of the first in Baltimore, Boston's Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez hit solo homers. In the top of the second, Mookie Betts had a three-run shot to make the score 5-0, but the rains came and after two and a half hours, the game was called off.
9/27/2019: Grayson Greiner of the Tigers hit a homer in the top of the fourth to make the score 4-2 against the White Sox, but it was washed out later.
Click on the date for a link to the boxscore and play-by-play where available.
9/23/1880: Worcester's pitcher Fred Corey hit an inside-the-park homer against Boston but failed to touch third base and was credited with a double.
9/17/1881: For the second time, Worcester's Fred Corey, playing right field, lost a homer when he failed to touch third. This time it was against Cleveland in the ninth inning of a 7-2 win. These would have been the first two homers in his career, which ended up with a total of seven.
6/23/1883: Jerry Denny of Providence (NL) hit the ball out of the playing field, but he failed to touch third base and was called out.
8/1/1883: Chick Fulmer of the Cincinnati Red Stockings of the American Association lost a home run in the first inning. Fulmer failed to touch 3B while running out his four-bagger against the Columbus Buckeyes and was out on appeal. In the fourth inning, Fulmer successfully completed a circuit for an inside-the-park homer. The game was played in Cincinnati.
7/2/1884: Bid McPhee of the Cincinnati Reds (AA) hit an inside-the-park home run at League Park in Cincinnati. However, he was out on appeal for failing to touch 2B.
7/12/1884: Billy Sunday homered in the eighth inning for the Chicago White Stockings at Detroit. However, he failed to touch second and was called out.
9/15/1887: The NY Giants were in Chicago playing the White Stockings (now Cubs). Jim O'Rourke was listed twice in the batting order. The first was O'Rourke or Brown, catcher and the second was Nelson or O'Rourke, third base. In the second inning, O'Rourke was out at 1B batting out of order but nothing was said. In the fourth, he hit a home run into the carriages beyond the outfielders but was called out after Chicago manager Cap Anson appealed to umpire Phil Powers.
9/16/1887: Bob Pettit of Chicago (NL) ran the circuit on a hit but was called out on appeal for missing 3B in the third inning.
6/15/1889: Al Maul of the Alleghenys (Pirates) hit a ball over the LF fence for a home run in Indianapolis. Maul stopped at 3B and did not score because he wanted there to be a base runner. This would make the catcher play closer up to the plate. At the time, catchers would stand farther back behind the batter to make it easier to catch pitches.
5/8/1894: The Boston Beaneaters (Braves) were in New York playing the Giants. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Giants had two runners on base with no one out when the game was called by darkness. Boston had scored twice in the top of the frame on a single by Jimmy Bannon and a home run by Charlie Ganzel. The score reverted to the end of the seventh inning and Ganzel lost his four-bagger. Those runs did not matter since the home team won, 16-5.
9/8/1897: In the second game of a doubleheader in Washington, Kip Selbach of the home team bounced a ball into the stands for a home run in the fourth inning. However, the game was forfeited by Cleveland to Washington in the top of the fifth inning and the statistics did not count for the contest. (See forfeits page for details.)
7/10 - 7/12/1890: The Pittsburgh at Boston Players League games were thrown out because Boston illegally used a player, Gil Hatfield, on loan from the New York team in the league. There were four homers hit in the three games that were removed from the official records:
09/19/1900: Brooklyn's Hughie Jennings had hit a homer in the bottom of the first against St. Louis. However, in the bottom of the third a dispute between the Cardinals and the umpire resulted in the game being forfeited. (See forfeits page for details.) Since the game had not yet gone long enough to be official, the records did not count and Jennings' homer was lost.
5/30/1903: In the top of the first, the Phillies had a runner on 1b and two out. Bill Keister hit a ball off Henry Schmidt that got past the Brooklyn fielders into lcf and he ran all the way around for an IPHR. However, umpire Johnson ruled that he cut 2b (not touching it) and Keister ended up with an RBI single.
9/24/1903: The first game of the day lasted 11 innings and 2:25. In the top of the sixth of game two, the White Sox scored two runs on a Ducky Holmes homer to tie the game at 7 each. Four batters later, umpire Harry Adams called the game because of darkness with two out and two strikes on Lee Tannehill. The game reverted to the end of the fifth, giving the Athletics a win, 7-5.
10/4/1904: In the second game of a doubleheader, Jack Dunn of the Giants homered. However, he was called out by umpire Jim Johnstone for missing first base. This and other protests caused the arbiter to forfeit the game to St. Louis.
8/4/1906: An over-flow crowd at the Polo Grounds was allowed to ring the outfield with a ground rule that any ball hit into (or over) the crowd would be a double. Bill Dahlen of the Giants hit a ball into the left field bleachers to lead off the bottom of the third inning off Cubs pitcher Jack Taylor. A home run on any other day, due to that day's ground rule, Dahlen was only awarded a double.
10/2/1912: At a game in Chicago the Pirates were leading 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Catcher Jimmy Archer, batting in the eighth spot in the lineup, doubled. Cy Williams ran for Archer and Wilbur Good pinch hit for Jimmy Lavender. Hank Robinson replaced Howie Camnitz on the mound and Dick Cotter was sent up to bat for Good. Cotter singled in the tying run, sending the game into the tenth inning, and took Archer's place as catcher. In the bottom of the tenth, Chicago had runners on first and second with two out and the eighth place in the lineup due to bat. Cotter came to the plate and singled to center to drive in the winning run. After the players had left the field Pirate manager Fred Clarke realized that Cotter had batted out of turn and sent the team's secretary to umpire Brick Owens to protest. Owens told the Pirates that it was too late for a protest since the team had left the playing field. However, NL President Tom Lynch upheld the protest on 10/13 and threw the game out. It was not replayed or completed. In the game there were two homers hit that are not part of the player's record. Frank Schulte hit a two-run shot off Camnitz with one out in the sixth which tied the game at 4. Chief Wilson hit his blast leading off the eighth off Lavender.
8/14/1913: Cardinal Ed Konetchy blasted the ball into the left-field stands in the third inning of the first game off Rube Marquard. The ball caromed off the seats back onto the field and umpire Ernie Quigley called it a double.
4/17/1914: Luther Bonin of the Buffalo Blues in the Federal League hit a home run into the bleachers during a game in Baltimore against the Terrapins. However, as he rounded third base, manager Larry Schlafly, who was coaching third, patted Bonin on the back. Bonin was declared out by the umpires. This would have been Bonin's only home run in his 21-game major league career. He was credited with a triple, the only one of his career!
7/13/1915: In a game at the Polo Grounds, Cy Williams of the Cubs hit what appeared to be a two-run inside-the-park home run to right center in the top of the fourth inning. However, Williams missed third base and was called out by umpire Mal Eason. Cubs skipper Roger Bresnahan was ejected by umpire Lord Byron for arguing the call on Williams. The Cubs lost to the Giants, 4-3.
6/26/1917: In the first game of a doubleheader with the Cubs in St. Louis, Walton Cruise of the Cardinals lost a home run in the fifth inning when he neglected to touch second base and was called out. The Redbirds won the game, 6-5, without that run.
7/12/1917: In the second game of a doubleheader, Reds left fielder Greasy Neale hit an inside-the-park homer with Hal Chase on base. However, base umpire Pete Harrison had called time before the pitch because of a ball loose on the field. Thus, the four-bagger was nullified.
5/29/1920: Catcher Ernie Krueger of the Dodgers lost an inside the park homer when the ball rolled under the temporary stands in center field at Ebbets Field. He was awarded a ground-rule triple on the play. The hit came off Hugh McQuillan of the Braves in the third inning of game 2 with one out.
9/12/1920: In the top of the fourth inning of a game in Chicago, Washington's Frank Ellerbe was on first base with two outs. Patsy Gharrity hit the ball into the left field bleachers for an apparent two-run homer. When Ellerbe heard the fans in those seats cheering he thought Joe Jackson had caught the ball which would have ended the inning. After rounding third base, Ellerbe turned and went to his shortstop position. Meanwhile Gharrity trotted around the bases. When he rounded third base, he was called out for passing Ellerbe. Both umpires, Bill Dinneen and Ollie Chill, made the call. Washington argued that since the ball was out of play it did not make any difference that Gharrity passed Ellerbe. The headline in the next days' New York Times read: "Gharrity's Homer Retires His Side." This event had no effect on the game as the Senators beat the White Sox, 5-0.
6/10/1921: The Tigers were in Washington for a strange game. In the top of the first inning, Harry Heilmann homered into the left field bleachers. It came off Harry Courtney with one runner on base. However, Heilmann was called out for batting out of turn by umpire Billy Evans. Detroit manager Ty Cobb had changed the lineup before the game but did not tell the players. Bobby Veach was skipped in the batting order in the initial frame. Veach batted in the fourth inning for the first time and homered to right field. In the fifth inning, Washington's Bucky Harris was called out on the base paths because of interference by Clyde Milan who was coaching third base at the time. There was a lot of confusion on the field during that play and eventually Harris and Sam Rice ended up standing at third base. When Rice stepped off the bag he was tagged out.
7/5/1921: Babe Ruth hit a homer into the right fields stands at the Polo Grounds in the sixth inning and should have had another. In the fourth inning, the Babe hit another long fly to right which would have cleared the fence. However, a fan reached out over the fence to catch the ball. Home plate umpire Tommy Connolly consulted with base umpire Ollie Chill and they ruled the ball a double. Ruth was already at third and returned to second only after a long argument.
5/30/1922: It was the bottom of the tenth in the first game of a Memorial Day doubleheader in Philadelphia. Butch Henline of the Phils batted with the score tied and runners on 1b and 3b. He hit the ball into the lf bleachers for a game-ending homer. However, after Tilly Walker scored from 3b, Henline stopped at 2b. Thus he gave up a homer for a double. Considering he only hit 40 home runs in his career it should have been a bigger deal. Maybe winning the game was enough (what a concept!)
5/31/1922: Leading off the top of the fifth in a game in Philadelphia, Bill Cunningham hit a ball into the lf bleachers which bounced off a seat back onto the field. He was allowed a double and the Giants protested to no avail. The hit came off Lee Meadows.
4/24/1925: Phillie Heinie Sand led off the bottom of the second inning against the Dodgers by hitting a Dazzy Vance pitch into the left field bleachers. Unfortunately for Sand the ball caromed back onto the playing field. He was awarded a double for his efforts.
8/5/1925: Tony Kaufmann of the Cubs and Russ Wrightstone of the Phillies each hit balls into the left field bleachers at Wrigley Field which were undergoing destruction at the time. According to the ground rules, each player was credited with a double.
9/8/1925: Max Carey hit a drive that bounced off a grandstand seat in right field and caromed back onto the field for a triple. The blow came off Grover Cleveland Alexander to lead off the seventh inning.
4/21/1929: Frank Sigafoos hit a ball into the stands for Detroit in St. Louis. However, the umpire had called a balk on the pitch and the home run was nullified. Detroit won the game, 16-9. Sigafoos finished his career with no home runs in 134 at bats.
4/15/1930: Babe Ruth hit a ball headed for the right-centerfield stands in Philadelphia. It struck a loud speaker horn and bounced back into the playing field. The umpires ruled it a double. The drive came off Lefty Grove in the third inning with one man on base.
5/30/1930: In the first game of a Memorial Day doubleheader, Dodger Del Bissonette batted against Claude Willoughby of the Phillies in the bottom of the fourth inning with runners on first and second. As Bissonette's fly ball neared the fence, Babe Herman, fearing a catch, stopped. Bissonette didn't see Herman and passed him. He was called out by umpire Cy Pfirman and was credited with a 2-RBI single.
9/15/1930: In the bottom of the first with runners on 1b and 2b, Dodger Glenn Wright hit the ball to right-center. It looked like it might be caught so Babe Herman slowed up as he neared 2b. The ball bounced over the fence for a home run but Wright had his head down as he ran between 1b and 2b. Consequently, he passed Herman and was called out. He lost a homer but still knocked in 2 runs.
9/26/1930: Babe Ruth repeated his 4/15 drive headed into the right-centerfield stands in Philadelphia. This also hit the speaker and returned to the field. The double came off Charlie Perkins.
4/26/1931: In the first inning with Lyn Lary on first and two out, Lou Gehrig hit a home run into the centerfield bleachers at Griffith Stadium. However, the ball caromed back to the centerfielder. Lary returned to the dugout, evidently thinking the ball was caught. Gehrig was declared out for passing the runner and lost the homer. He ended the year tied for the lead in homers with Babe Ruth.
6/29/1933: In the top of the second Redbird outfielder Ethan Allen hit an inside the park swat to deep left-center at the Polo Grounds. However, he batted out of turn, so he lost the homer and the proper batter, Joe Medwick, was called out. The drive came off Watty Clark with no one on and one out.
6/6/1937(2): Joe Medwick of the Cardinals lost a homer in the second game of a doubleheader against the Phillies in Philadelphia. He had hit what would have been his tenth homer of the season in the first inning and St. Louis was leading 8-2 in the top of the fourth. An 88 minute rain delay in the first game delayed the start of game two and the 7 o'clock closing law was approaching. The Phils started stalling by making unnecessary pitching changes, mound conferences and asking for different balls. Eventually umpire Bill Klem forfeited the game to the Redbirds and all stats were wiped out because the game failed to go five innings. Manager Jimmie Wilson was later fined $100 by Ford Fick for his stalling tactics. Medwick was still able to win the triple-crown in that year even though he tied with Mel Ott with 31 home runs.
5/14/1938: The Cardinals hosted the Reds in St. Louis. Reds outfielder Dusty Cooke hit a drive in the sixth inning that hit the edge of the pavilion roof in deep right center field. The umpires ruled the ball in play and Cooke reached third base for a triple. After the ninth inning ended with the teams tied at 5-5, Reds manager Bill McKechnie announced that he was protesting the game based on that call in the sixth inning. The Cardinals had scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game. The Reds scored once in the top of the tenth but the Redbirds won the contest with two in the bottom of the frame. NL president Ford Frick upheld the protest on June 3 and declared the game a tie. He also awarded Cooke with a homer, so it became "unlost." The teams replayed the game on August 20.
7/30/1939: The Braves were in Pittsburgh for a Sunday doubleheader and beat the Pirates in the first game, 7-5. That game had a 1:25 rain delay in the ninth inning, causing the second game to start later than planned. In the bottom of the third of game two, Johnny Rizzo hit a solo homer off Joe Sullivan. In the top of the fifth frame, the game was called due to the Pennsylvania curfew law with the Braves leading 6-3
8/4/1942: The Dodgers were playing the Giants at the Polo Grounds with wartime restrictions in effect that required the lights to be shut off at a predetermined time. Brooklyn scored four runs in the top of the tenth inning, including an inside-the-park grand slam by Peewee Reese, which flew over the head of center fielder Buster Maynard and rolled to the clubhouse area. After a pitching change, a walk and a fly out, the umpires stopped the game in the middle of an at bat by Joe Medwick. The game reverted back to a nine-inning, 1-1 tie. The contest was scheduled for a September 6 makeup. This was the first time a game had ended in a tie under the lights due to the dim out regulations. The game had started at 6:45pm. The only statement made by NL President Ford Frick was to say that he would "urge earlier start times."
4/17/1945: On Opening Day in Cincinnati, Pirates shortstop Frankie Zak reached first on a bunt, which sent teammate Al Lopez to second. Zak then asked for time to tie his shoelace, which was granted by umpire Ziggy Sears. However, Reds pitcher Bucky Walters had begun his pitch, which Jim Russell hit over the right field fence for an apparent three-run homer. The play was not allowed because of the time out. Russell then singled to CF to drive in one run. The eleven-inning contest was won by the home team, 7-6.
6/22/1947(2): The Phillies were in Pittsburgh to play a doubleheader and the first game went 13 innings. The Phillies led the second game, 8-6, at the end of 4 innings, when the game was called for the Sunday curfew. Jim Tabor of the Phillies had homered in the top of the first inning against Rip Sewell with two men on and 1 out. Elbie Fletcher of the Pirates homered in the bottom of the first against Charley Schanz with two men on and 1 out.
8/6/1949: In the bottom of the first at St. Louis, the Cardinals had a runner on base when Giants pitcher Adrian Zabala was called for a balk by 1B umpire Bill Stewart. Zabala's balk was for not coming to a complete stop before delivering. Nippy Jones hit the pitch into the LF seats, but Stewart said he had called time with the balk call, so the homer did not count. Jones later flied out.
9/14/1952(2): Minnie Minoso of the White Sox hit a two-run homer off Dick Brodowski of the Red Sox in the second game of two in Chicago but lost it when the contest was halted in the 4th inning due to darkness and a 7PM Sunday curfew on the use of lights. The first game had gone 17 innings. The Sox were ahead of the Red Sox, 3-0. The game was replayed the next day and won by the White Sox 4-2.
4/21/1954: Giants Whitey Lockman hit an apparent home run to RF in Pittsburgh in the top of the fifth, but it was disallowed because time had been requested by Monte Irvin and granted by 1B umpire Bill Stewart. Irvin was the base runner at 1B.
7/18/1954(2): Joe Frazier of the Cardinals hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning of game two off Bob Greenwood of the Phillies. That home run was wiped out in the fifth inning when the game was forfeited to the Phillies. For more on the contest, see the entry on the Forfeits page
4/28/1956: Mickey Mantle drilled a ball into the Fenway Park center field bleachers in the eighth inning. The blast off Dave Sisler landed three or four rows up in the stands. The ball bounced once while a number of fans tried to grab it and then bounced back onto the field. Mantle hustled and beat the throw to third. Casey Stengel, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey and Frank Crosetti surrounded second base umpire Ed Rommel, trying to convince him that his ruling was incorrect. The argument took five minutes and Stengel was ejected by Rommel. Rommel ruled that the ball hit the top of the wall and not in the stands.
5/26/1959: Joe Adcock lost a homer in what had been Harvey Haddix' perfect game. In the bottom of the 13th inning, after Felix Mantilla reached on an error and was sacrificed to second, Hank Aaron was intentionally walked. Adcock then hit his home run. However, Aaron didn't know the ball left the park, so he returned to the dugout and Adcock was called out for passing Aaron, which nullified the homer, but Mantilla scored on the play, Adcock was credited with a double, and the game ended in a 1-0, one hitter loss for Haddix.
7/1/1959: Harmon Killebrew was robbed of a home run in the bottom of the seventh inning according to fellow 500-homer slugger Ted Williams. The Killer blasted a Jerry Casale pitch towards left field where Williams was patrolling. According to umpire Bob Stewart, the ball struck the visiting bullpen fence and was not out of the park. The ball rolled almost all the way back to third base. Williams stood watching the ball roll with his hands on his hips. According to Williams the ball struck the screen on the left field pole a couple of feet above the fence. "I saw no point in chasing a home run." Killebrew ended up with a double on the play.
6/24/1960: The Cubs were at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh to play the Pirates. They lost their eighth consecutive game by a score of 4-1 as the Pirates gathered ten hits, all singles, to score their runs. Meanwhile, the Cubs were hitting the ball all over the yard without much to show for it. Frank Thomas hit two long flies that were caught in the spacious ballpark and Dick Gernert hit another. In the top of the third, Jerry Kindall hit a fly ball off the clock in left center field that, by rule, was a homer. However, neither third base umpire Ed Sudol and second base umpire Vinnie Smith saw the ball strike the clock. Kindall was held to a double on the play and never scored.
8/28/1960: Ted Kluszewski of the White Sox pinch hit in the eighth inning of a game at Baltimore. The Orioles' Milt Pappas, leading 3-0, delivered a pitch as third base umpire Ed Hurley called time. Klu hammered a three-run homer to right, but it was called back by Hurley. Baltimore won 3-1.
9/10/1961: Clete Boyer homered off Cleveland's Jim Perry in Yankee Stadium in the sixth inning of the second game of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader. The ball hit in the far left hand corner of the lower level of the grandstand and bounced back onto the playing field. Home plate umpire Joe Linsalata signalled it a homer and immediately Jimmy Piersall ran out of the visitor's bullpen in left field. Piersall contended that the ball was in play and two umpires agreed with him (Frank Umont at third and Charlie Berry at second). Boyer, already in his home run trot, was tagged out at third base, receiving credit for a double and two runs batted in. The game was protested by the Yankees. Earlier in the game, Mickey Mantle hit his 53rd home run of the season. In the first game, Piersall fought with a fan who came onto the field.
7/15/1962 (Game 2): Frank Bolling of the Braves lost an apparent homer in the sixth inning of a game at Milwaukee's County Stadium. After Wally Post failed to catch the fly at the wall, fan interference was ruled and Bolling declared out on the play. The Braves lost to Cincinnati, 3-2.
8/2/1964: Brooks Robinson hit a ball down the left-field line that struck the fair pole high above the fence. Umpire John Rice ruled it in play and Robinson was tagged out sliding into third base. Rice admitted after the game that he probably made a mistake.
4/30/1965: Met Ron Swoboda lost a grand slam at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. In the first inning, after a single, double and intentional walk, Swoboda hit a long drive to center field off John Tsitouris. At that time, there was a double fence; the main wall was concrete and it was topped with a plywood extension to protect the road construction crew outside. The concrete was in play while the plywood was a homer; Swoboda's ball hit the plywood and bounced back. Vada Pinson threw the ball back to the infield; second base umpire Frank Secory ruled that the ball was in play. The slam turned into a 1 RBI single. Coach Yogi Berra was ejected for arguing the call for the first time in his National League career. After the game he uttered one of his classic lines: "Anyone who can't hear the difference between wood and concrete must be blind."
8/10/1965: In the second game at Fenway Park, Brooks Robinson's ball to left field was ruled in play by Lou DiMuro, the second base umpire. The ball hit an iron girder supporting the net above the wall, but DiMuro thought it had hit to wall. It came in the third inning with two out and one on and Robinson legged out a triple on the play. He received credit for a homer in the seventh inning of the same game.
8/18/1965: Hank Aaron of Milwaukee hit Curt Simmons's pitch on top of the pavillion roof at Busch Stadium in St. Louis for an apparent homer. However, umpire Chris Pelekoudas called Aaron out for being out of the batter's box when he connected.
4/21/1967: Tony Oliva of Minnesota lost a home run due to a base running blunder. Playing in Detroit in the third inning, Cesar Tovar was the runner at first base. Oliva hit the ball out of the park off Denny McLain, but then passed Tovar between first and second. He was credited with a single and one RBI for scoring Tovar.
6/30/1969: At Parc Jarry in Montreal, in the top of the second inning Ernie Banks of the Cubs hit a ball to right field that cleared the fence but was difficult to see in the bad lighting. Expos right fielder Rusty Staub kicked some dirt around and convinced the umpires that the ball went under the fence. Cubs manager Leo Durocher argued the call and was ejected. He then protested the game, won by the Expos, 5-2. This homer would have been #488 for Banks, who finished his career with 512 four-baggers.
7/18/1969: Don Buford hit the ball into the right field seats in Fenway Park in the eighth inning. Tony Conigliaro leaped and fell into the stands, but did not have the ball when he came up. The first base umpire, Bob Stewart, gave no signal. Dave May, running at first, hesitated, then started back to first base. Buford passed him and May was called out while Buford circled the bases. A five minute argument followed. Earl Weaver argued about Stewart's delayed home run call. Buford was credited with a run scoring single, and May with a run scored, even though those events never actually happened on the field. Home plate umpire Red Flaherty allegedly called May out, which was why he stopped running. The hit came off Ray Jarvis, who was ahead 6-0 at the time. May's run was the only tally of the game for the Orioles.
7/9/1970: In the seventh inning at Tiger Stadium, Dalton Jones pinch hit for Jim Price with the bases loaded. Jones hammered the 2-2 pitch into the upper deck in right field for a grand slam. However, Jones passed Don Wert between first and second and was called out, thus ending up with a 3-RBI single. Vicente Romo has entered the game to face Jones.
9/30/1970: Leo Cardenas lost a solo home run to an umpire's decision. In the eighth inning of a game in Minneapolis, Cardenas hit a ball that appeared to hit the left field fair pole off Kansas City's Wally Bunker. However, the umpires ruled it a foul ball. Both Bill Rigney and Bob Allison were ejected for protesting the call and Cardenas finished his plate appearance with a strikeout.
4/7/1971: Carlos May of the Chicago White Sox homered in the top of the first inning of the second game off Rollie Fingers in Oakland. The blow came with two runners on and one out. May did not touch home plate and was out on appeal.
6/25/1971: Brooks Robinson of the Orioles hit a towering flyball to left-center field in the top of the fourth inning off Red Sox pitcher Jim Lonborg which caromed off a light tower behind Fenway Park's Green Monster and rebounded back on to the field. Second base umpire Bill Haller ruled that the ball hit off the top of the wall and Robinson only got a double. Players in the Baltimore bullpen confirmed that the ball had hit the light tower and should have been a home run.
9/20/1972: In the first inning of a game in Anaheim, Kansas City pitcher Steve Busby hit a grand slam homer off Lloyd Allen. Unfortunately, first base umpire John Rice called time as the play started which nullified the blast. John Mayberry had already hit a slam in the inning so the Royals would have been added to the very short list of teams with two grand slams in one inning.
6/10/1974: In a Phillies game at the Astrodome, Mike Schmidt hit a towering fly ball to centerfield which struck the loudspeaker 112 feet above the playing surface. It came in the first inning with two on and no one out and he was credited with a single.
6/19/1974: Giant Ed Goodson hit a home run in the third inning off Bob Gibson at St. Louis with Garry Maddox on first and no one out. Unfortunately, he passed Maddox between first and second. Goodson was credited with a single and a run batted in.
7/21/1975: Cardinal catcher Ted Simmons hit a homer to lead off the fourth inning in San Diego. However, Padres manager John McNamara claimed that his bat was illegal. Home plate umpire Art Williams agreed with McNamara because there were grooves cut into the fat part of the bat, clearly above the 18 area from the handle. Williams ruled Simmons out and the bat was confiscated by crew chief Ed Vargo. The game was protested by the Cardinals, but they won 4-0.
4/10/1976: On the second day of the season in Milwaukee, Don Money batted with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and the Brewers behind the Yankees 9-6. Before Dave Pagan delivered his second pitch to Money, New York manager Billy Martin yelled to first baseman Chris Chambliss to call time. Chambliss asked umpire Jim McKean. Money hit the pitch and circled the bases. The Brewers celebrated and went into the clubhouse thinking they had won for the second time in two games. However, before Money crossed the plate Martin was on the field arguing with McKean. After a couple of minutes of Martin's tirade, the umpires sent for the Brewers to come back on the field. The Brewers were obviously upset about the call. First base coach Harvey Keunn said that the pitcher was already in his motion when Chambliss yelled for time. Some Brewers went so far as to say that Martin intimidated McKean into reversing the homer. The Yankees won the game, 9-7, and the Brewers protested the outcome to no avail.
7/4/1976: Catcher Tim McCarver of the Phillies hit a grand slam in the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader at Pittsburgh. The 375 foot homer came off Larry Demery. However, after rounding first base, McCarver passed Garry Maddox and was called out. He received credit for a single and three runs batted in.
6/24/1977: Ralph Garr of the White Sox homered off Minnesota's Paul Thormodsgard in Minneapolis. It came in the third inning with two men on and no one out. Jim Essian, the runner on first, thought the ball might be caught by the Twins' right fielder, Dan Ford, so he retreated towards first base. Garr was watching the flight of the ball and passed Essian after rounding the bag. He was credited with a single and two runs batted in.
5/28/1977: Butch Hobson lost a homer off Marty Pattin because of a ruling by umpire Terry Cooney. Hobson's hit in the seventh inning went into the screen over Fenway Park's left field wall. Unfortunately, it bounced off a light tower and came back onto the field and was ruled in play.
7/21/1977: Butch Hobson lost his second of the season to an umpire's call. In the seventh inning of game one, Hobson hit a ball to Fenway's center field stands that was ruled off the wall by Ted Hendry. The Red Sox claimed that the ball caromed off a fan back onto the field. Neither of the two TV cameramen nearby had a definitive answer. Hobson ended with a double off Wayne Garland, which came with one man on base. Hobson batted a second time in the inning and homered and thus would have joined the short list of players with two home runs in one inning.
8/10/1977: In the bottom of the 7th George Scott hit a ball at Fenway Park that struck the center field wall to the right of the vertical yellow line the separates a homer, if it hits to the right of the line, from a ball in play, so it should have been called a home run. Second base umpire Russ Goetz called the ball in play, however. Scott shouted at Goetz as he rounded second and gave the arm twirling motion for a homer. He legged out a triple on the play but might have had an inside the park homer if he had not complained to the umpire. See the top picture on this page to see the line on the wall (although the Green Monster seats were not there in 1977).
9/6/1978 (Game 2): In the top of the third inning in Anaheim, umpire Bill Deegan called time when a paper airplane landed on the field. Angels hurler Paul Hartzell delivered his pitch just after the arbiter's call and John Lowenstein hit the ball over the right field fence for an apparent home run. However, due to Deegan's time out call, Lowenstein lost his homer and later walked and scored in the inning.
6/5/1979: Seattle's Willie Horton hit a towering fly ball in the eighth inning of a game in the Kingdome. The drive, off Detroit's John Hiller, hit a speaker in left field and became a single. If it had not, it would have been Horton's 300th home run, which came the next day off Jack Morris.
5/14/1982: Pittsburgh's Lee Lacy batted in the bottom of the eighth inning as the first batter to face Tom Hume of the Reds. The bases were loaded with no outs and Lacy hit one of Hume's pitches out of the park. However, in the celebration during his run around the bases, Lacy passed Omar Moreno between first and second. He is credited with a single and three runs batted in. Luckily, Moreno's run won the game for the Pirates 8-7.
9/13/1982: In the first game of a doubleheader in Boston, Toby Harrah hit a high fly down the left field line that hit the pole just above the wall. Third base umpire Maloney ruled that the ball hit the yellow line on the wall and was in play. The pitcher was Oil Can Boyd; Harrah was the third batter Boyd faced in his debut after retiring the first two.
6/17/1983: In the top of the second inning, Al Cowens of the Mariners circled the bases on an inside the park home run to left field. However, Cowens was called out on appeal for missing the second base bag during his dash in Kansas City.
8/14/1983: In the bottom of the fifth inning at Comiskey Park, Carlton Fisk hit a ball to left field that third base umpire Greg Kosc ruled a home run. However, plate umpire Jim Evans over-ruled Kosc and ruled the play as fan interference and a double for Fisk. The White Sox lost two runs, manager Tony La Russa was ejected and protested the game. Neither runner scored in the inning and the Orioles won the contest, 2-1.
4/11/1985: In the top of the sixth inning at the Kingdome, Dave Kingman hit a fly ball to left that struck a wire. The blast off Dave Geisel would have been a homer but instead was caught by Phil Bradley for the third out.
4/29/1985: Yankee Bobby Meacham batted in the top of the fourth inning in Texas with two runners on and one out. He homered off Frank Tanana, but didn't expect the ball to leave the park. While he was running towards and around first, the runner at first, Willie Randolph was headed back to the bag to tag up. Neither Randolph nor Meacham expected the ball to leave the yard. They collided just past first base and Meacham was called out for passing Randolph and ended up being credited with a two-run single. By the way, this was Billy Martin's first day on the job for one of his stints as New York manager.
5/20/1985: In the top of the fourth inning in Philadelphia, Jeff Leonard batted to lead off the inning. He hit Steve Carlton's pitch for an apparent home run. However, Dick Stello called the ball in play and Leonard ended up with a double.
9/5/1985: In the first game of a twi-night doubleheader, Boston's Mike Easler lost what would have been his third grand slam in 6 days in Fenway Park. The ball was hit off Cleveland's Neal Heaton after an intentional walk. It hit off the light tower above Fenway's fabled left field wall but umpire Ted Hendry ruled it in play; Hendry was part of a three man crew that night. Indians' left fielder Joe Carter said that the ball clearly left the yard, but Easler ended with a double and 3 RBI.
5/3/1986: In the bottom of the third inning at Fenway Park, Dwight Evans hit a fly ball that struck the light tower above the wall in left center field and bounced back into the field. Although it struck above the wall, it was ruled in play, and Evans only reached second on the hit, which came off Chris Codiroli of Oakland.
8/6/1987: Ken Phelps of the Mariners lost a home run to a speaker in the Kingdome. With Willie Fraser pitching for the Angels, Phelps hit a towering fly ball down the right field that would have cleared the wall for a four-bagger. However, the ball hit the loudspeaker over fair territory and them caromed a long enough distance in the air to land in foul territory, which made it a foul ball by the Kingdome's ground rules. He then lined out to end the inning.
5/11/1988: The Mets were playing at the Astrodome in Houston. In the top of the ninth, Tim Teufel hit a line drive that cleared the fence in left center for an apparent grand slam off Dave Smith to put the Mets ahead. However, it struck the concrete outer wall and came back on the field. The blast was eventually ruled a three-run double, which tied the game and sent it into extra innings. The Mets eventually won it in the tenth, 9-8.
7/1/1988: Rich Gedman on the Red Sox homered off Gene Garber in Kansas City in the eighth inning with 1 man on base. And Boston behind 8-7. First base umpire Dale Scott (part of a three man crew) ruled the fly foul although it hit off the right field pole. Gedman then hit into a double play and the score remained 8-7.
6/24/1989: In the day game of a day/night doubleheader, Dwight Evans faced new relief pitcher Juan Berenguer in the bottom of the fifth inning at Fenway Park. Evans hit a line drive off the left-centerfield stanchion above the wall that caromed back onto the field. The blast was ruled a double instead of a 3-run homer.
5/28/1990: In the bottom of the third inning at Wrigley Field, Ryne Sandberg hit a two-run home run just inside the left field pole that third base umpire Bill Hohn ruled a fair ball. However, Giants manager Roger Craig came out and argued the call. After a discussion by the umpires, crew chief (and first base arbiter) Harry Wendelstedt overruled Hohn and called it a foul ball. Television replays clearly showed it to be a fair ball and a homer. Cubs manager Don Zimmer was ejected because of the changed call. Sandberg singled but the Cubs did not score in the frame but eventually won the game, 5-1.
9/16/1991: Devon White of the Blue Jays led off the game with a tremendous drive to right field off Mariners pitcher Brian Holman destined for the upper deck. The ball struck one of the Kingdome's speakers attached to the dome's roof and fell to the turf. White, who had gone into a home run trot, had to sprint into second base for a double.
7/1/1992: Braves hurler Steve Avery hit a home run over the chain-link outfield fence at Candlestick Park off Bud Black. However, second base umpire Jim Quick ruled that the ball bounced over the fence for a double. Avery was stranded at second as the Giants won, 2-1.
7/5/1992: In the bottom of the sixth inning at the Metrodome against the Orioles, Chili Davis hit a deep fly to right off of Rick Sutcliffe that was headed deep into the stands when it hit a speaker. The ball bounced back toward short right field where second baseman Mark McLemore made the catch for an out. The Orioles were ahead 1-0 at the time, but the Twins rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth for a 2-1 victory.
7/22/1993: Kirby Puckett of Minnesota hit a ball just to the left of the end of the "baggy" hung over the Metrodome's right field fence. It was ruled in play, even though replays showed that it was a home run.
5/5/1995: Larry Walker of the Rockies hit a ball into the first row of seats at Coors Field. However, it rebounded so quickly off the seat back and back onto the field that second base umpire Randy Marsh thought it hit high off the wall. Walker got a double out of what should have been the 100th homer of his career. The hit came off Ismael Valdez of the Dodgers.
8/23/1995: At Shea Stadium, the Giants led 3-2 with two out in the bottom of the ninth and Chris Jones at bat for the Mets. Jones hit a drive to right field which appeared to be a game tying homer off Terry Mulholland. However, first base umpire Gary Darling ruled the ball foul, even though replays of the hit showed it hitting the fair pole. Mulholland struck out Jones on the next pitch to end the game.
4/15/1997: Scott Hatteberg of the Red Sox hit his first major league home run in Fenway Park but lost it to an umpire's call. The ball was ruled in play by John Shulock and Hatteberg only got to second base on the play. The hit came off Don Wengert of Oakland in the sixth inning and hit off a TV camera in center field. (Two batters later, Nomar Garciaparra hit a ball that was ruled a homer even though a fan seemed to reach over the right field wall.)
4/26/1997: Eric Karros of the Dodgers homered in Joe Robbie Stadium but should have had two. His other "homer" hit just above the left field scoreboard but was ruled in play; the call was that the ball hit the "teal tower" instead of above it. The blow came off Alex Fernandez.
7/23/1997: Troy O'Leary hit a ball to Fenway's right field corner off Oakland's Gary Haught to lead off the seventh inning. The ball was touched by a fan but called in play by first base umpire Ted Barrett. All replays showed that the ball was clearly over the wall and touched by a fan in the seats. O'Leary legged out a triple on the play.
8/3/1997: Sean Berry of the Astros hit a long drive to left field off Mets pitcher Brian Bohanon leading off the bottom of the fifth inning which hit a speaker attached to the Astrodome's roof. The ball fell to the turf and Berry was able to get only a double on the drive that was ticketed to be a long home run.
4/8/1998: In the Kingdome, David Segui launched a blast off Hideki Irabu that appeared to be his fifth home run of the season. However, the ball hit a speaker that hangs 132 feet above the field in deep right-center and Segui had to settle for a triple.
7/25/1998: Kevin Young hit a ball off the Three Rivers Stadium auxiliary scoreboard that quickly bounced back onto the playing field. Gerry Davis, umpiring at 2b, ruled the ball in play. The blast came off Atlanta's Denny Neagle leading off the sixth inning.
8/11/1998: Harold Baines lost a two-run dinger to umpire Al Clark. In Tropicana Field, Baines hit a ball that cleared the fence and bounced back. Clark ruled that the ball struck the top of the wall.
9/20/1998: In the first inning in Milwaukee, Mark McGwire hit his 65th home run of the season. In the fifth inning, McGwire hit a ball to the wall in left-center field. A fan touched the ball and McGwire was given a double on the interference. However, replays clearly showed that the ball would have been over the fence if the fan had not touched it.
5/2/1999: Jose Canseco hit what appeared to be his eleventh homer of the season but the ball landed on the second catwalk above left field at Tropicana Field and was ruled a double.
10/17/1999: In game 5 of the NL Championship Series, the Braves had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the 15th inning. However, after an one-out intentional walk to load the bases, Todd Pratt walked to push across the tying run for the Mets. Robin Ventura came to the plate with a chance to win the game. Ventura hit a Kevin McGlinchy pitch over the right-centerfield fence for an apparent game-ending grand slam. However, once each baserunner had advanced one base, thus scoring the winning run, Pratt turned and ran towards Ventura to give him a big hug. Ventura had rounded first base and was advancing towards second in his home run trot. He kept motioning to the other runners to keep running. Since each runner only advanced the one bag, Ventura is officially credited with an RBI-single. It would have been the first game-ending grand slam in the history of post-season.
4/7/2000: Jose Canseco of the Devil Rays hit a tremendous blast to left field off Indians pitcher Jaret Wright in the bottom of the fifth inning which hit one of Tropicana Field's "B-ring" catwalks. Per the ground rules the ball was in play and Canseco managed to only get a double on the mammoth drive that was destined to be a very long home run.
9/11/2000: Richard Hidalgo homered into the right-centerfield bullpen in the bottom of the fifth inning. The ball caromed off an inner fence back onto the field and was ruled in play. Hidalgo had to settle for a triple. In each of the previous two games, Hidalgo had hit two homers. With the homer he had hit in the second inning, this lost blast would have made three consecutive games with multiple homers.
7/6/2002: In the top of the tenth with Mike Caruso on first and one out, the Royals Michael Tucker hit a long fly to center which was caught by Terrence Long of the Athletics at the wall. However, Long snow-coned it and lost it over the fence for a homer when he hit the wall. Tucker stopped as he approached second, but Caruso not realizing that the Long had not held the ball started to tag up and passed Tucker going back to first. Tucker was called out for passing the runner; he lost a homer but was credited with an RBI-single that gave the Royals a 4-3 victory over the Athletics.
9/27/2003: In the top of the 9th the Boston Red Sox were behind one run in a game at Tampa Bay. Left fielder David McCarty hit a home run into the left field stands. Umpire Joe West ruled fan interference and called him out on it, saying that Tampa Bay's left fielder Carl Crawford could have made the catch. Replays clearly showed it was a home run at least 2 feet into the stands. That would have tied the score but the Sox lost 5-4.
8/10/2005: Gabe Kapler of the Red Sox hit a line drive off Kenny Rogers that struck the top of the LF wall in the bottom of the third inning at Fenway Park. The ball bounced into the relatively new "Monster Seats" on top of the wall, struck a table and caromed back onto the field. Umpire Derryl Cousins said the ball never left the field and after a consultation among the crew the call was upheld and Kapler ended up with a double. Trot Nixon, on the disabled list, was ejected from the dugout after the call. The lost dinger didn't matter in the game as Boston beat Texas, 16-5.
4/16/2006: Javy Lopez of the Orioles hit a home run to left center in the second inning of a game at Camden Yards as Darin Erstad attempted to catch the ball at the wall. The runner on first, Miguel Tejada, thinking the ball was caught, returned towards the bag and Lopez rounded first and passed Tejada. Lopez was called out and Tejada scored on the play, giving Lopez an RBI single over the wall. The Angels beat the Orioles, 9-3.
6/15/2006: David Ortiz of the Red Sox hit a towering fly ball in the top of the sixth inning at the Metrodome. The ball soared toward the upper deck but struck a speaker hanging from the ceiling and fell onto the field. Ortiz only reached first base and was out on a double play. After the game, Boston manager Terry Francona said: "It's like playing putt-putt golf where you've got to go around the windmill. That's embarrassing. The outcome of the game should never, never hinge on a speaker." The Twins completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox, 5-3.
7/5/2006: Kevin Youkilis of the Red Sox hit a blast to left field off Devil Rays pitcher Tim Corcoran in the top of the third inning which hit one of Tropicana Field's "B-ring" catwalks. Per the ground rules the ball was in play, so when Tampa Bay left fielder Carl Crawford caught the ball after it caromed off the catwalk Youkilis was actually retired on a drive that should have been a long home run.
7/14/2006: Chris Woodward of the Mets hit a ball that cleared the basket in left center at Wrigley Field for an apparent home run off Greg Maddux. However, the ball was ruled in play and Woodward reached third for a triple. He later scored on a sacrifice fly. The Mets beat the Cubs, 6-3.
9/16/2006: Ryan Howard hit a ball to left field that was touched by a Houston fan; the ball was ruled in play although it was apparent from the replay that it was over the wall when touched. Howard was credited with a double. The lost homer did not affect the outcome of the game as the Phillies beat the Astros, 7-2.
9/26/2006: Chase Utley hit a ball down the right field line at RFK Stadium in Washington that struck the pole for an apparent three-run homer. However, it was ruled a foul ball and no one from the Phillies protested the call. Utley popped out and the Nationals won the game, 4-3.
7/20/2007: J.D. Drew hit a ball just over the left field wall at Fenway Park that was ruled in play. The three-run homer turned into one run and Manny Ramirez being thrown out at the plate. Red Sox Manager Terry Francona ejected by 3B umpire Tim McClelland while arguing the call. The Red Sox eventually won the game.
4/2/2008: In the top of the 5th inning, the Mets Carlos Beltran hit a deep fly ball off the Marlins Matt Lindstrom to right-center field. The ball cleared the wall, struck a metal railing and bounced up in the air, landing back in the field of play. It was initially called a home run by third base umpire Jeff Kellogg. Kellogg was incorrectly overruled by second base umpire Rick Reed and Beltran was given a double, his third of the game.
5/18/2008: In the top of the fourth, Carlos Delgado of the Mets hit the ball down the LF line in Yankee Stadium, and it was ruled a home run by 3B umpire Mike Reilly. However, the crew huddled and reversed the call. Replays showed that the ball hit the black base of the pole and thus was a home run. Mets manager Willie Randolph argued briefly. Moments later, HP umpire Bob Davidson ejected Mets bench coach Jerry Manuel, who had seen a replay and was yelling from the bench.
5/21/2008: For the second time in four days Yankee Stadium was the site of an incorrect HR call by the umpires. After having homered in the third, in the bottom of the sixth Alex Rodriguez hit of line shot to right center off of Lance Cormier that cleared the fence, but bounced back into the field off of a set of stairs above the fence painted yellow. Orioles right field Nick Markakis played the ball and threw to second where Rodriguez was standing. Immediately after the play, Rodriguez pointed to the stairs and said the ball had hit there. After a brief consultation the umpires ruled the ball had bounced back from the top of the fence, so the hit became a double. However, replays showed the ball cleared the fence by a couple of feet.
5/19/2010: Josh Hamilton of the Rangers homered in the second inning against the Orioles in Arlington. In the fourth, his fly cleared the 14-foot fence in LF and caromed back onto the field. Second base umpire Doug Eddings ruled it in play. Rangers manager Ron Washington argued with Eddings, who stood firm in his call, saying the ball hit the pad. Washington was convinced and left the field. Crew chief Dana DeMuth did not watch the replay and admitted after the game that the unpires were wrong. He said that he should have watched the replay and then overturned the call.
5/9/2016: In the bottom of the second inning, Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto's fly to CF just cleared the fence. Marcell Ozuna returned to 1B in case the ball was caught as Realmuto rounded the 1B bag. No call was made on the play and Realmuto continued around the bases behind Ozuna, Crew chief Brian Gorman requested a review, which overturned the call to passing a runner. Realmuto was called out and Ozuna scored. Realmuto was credited with an RBI single.
4/14/2018: In the top of the fourth with runners on first and third, Deven Marrero of the Diamondbacks hit a fly to left center in Dodger Stadium that just cleared the wall. Alex Avila, the runner on first started back to the bag to tag up. Marrero briefly passed behind and beyond Avila and was called out for passing him. The play was first ruled to be a three-run homer, but the replay review reversed the call to a two-run single.
4/26/2019 - In the bottom of the seventh against the Tigers, the White Sox Jose Abreu hit what appeared to be a three-run homer to left center, but it did not the clear the fence by very much, so Tim Anderson went back to first to tag up. Abreu passed by him rounding first, and was called out when the Tigers challenged the play, which became a two-run single.
4/1/2021 - In the top of the third of a game against the Rockies, Cody Bellinger of the Dodgers hit a fly to left that Raimel Tapia leaped to catch at the fence. The ball was in his glove and then fell out over the fence. However, Justin Turner who had been on first and had rounded second thought the ball was caught and raced back to first passing in front of Bellinger who was trotting between first and second. Bellinger was called out and had to settle for an RBI single.
6/8/2021 - Ke'Bryan Hayes hit a fly ball down the right field line in the bottom of the first of the Dodgers at Pirates game. It just cleared the fence and bounced back into the field. He ran hard watching the ball not knowing if the ball was going to carry into the stands and did not touch first as he rounded the base. Before pitching to the next batter, the Dodgers pitcher threw to first and Hayes was out on appeal.
9/22/2021 - In the top of the first in Arizona, Adam Duvall hit a drive to right that Jake McCarthy had in his glove and then the ball bounced off it and into the stands. Austin Riley, the runner on first thought that the ball had been caught and retreated back toward first while Duvall passed him turning a 3-run homer into a 2-run single.
7/28/1924: In an International League game at Rochester, Fred Merkel hit a home run against Baltimore with Griffin on second and Gonzales on third. Griffin passed Gonzales before the latter could score for the third out. The three lost runs cost Rochester the game, as they lost 4-2 to the Orioles.
7/3/1949: Quentin Martin, playing for Rocky Mount of the Coastal Plain League, hit his fourth home run of the game in the ninth inning at Goldsboro. Shortly after that, it began to rain and, eventually, the game had to be called. Rocky Mount was ahead at the time, so all ninth inning statistics were wiped out, including Martin's fourth home run
8/10/1958: Las Vegas third baseman Elmo Plaskett hit a home run in a California League game at Fresno off Tom Fitzgerald. The hit came with one on and one out in the second inning. After crossing the plate, Plaskett realized he had missed the first base bag and circled the bases again to make up for it. When a new ball was put in play, Fresno appealed and Plaskett was called out on appeal.
1981: Rick Stuart of the Johnson City Cardinals hit the only homer of his professional career over the left field fence. As his teammates gathered around home plate to congratulate him, he failed to touch the plate and was called out on appeal. Stuart is the son of former major leaguer Dick Stuart.
6/22/2006: Chris Carter of the Great Falls White Sox (Pioneer League) hit a ball over the left field fence in Billings with Lee Cruz running at first base. Cruz thought the ball might be caught and was returning towards the bag when Carter rounded first while celebrating the homer. Carter passed Cruz and was called out and credited with an RBI-single. He led the league with 15 home runs for the season.
Retrosheet website last updated September 18, 2024.
All data contained at this site is copyright 1996-2024 by Retrosheet. All Rights Reserved. Click here for information about the use of Retrosheet data