Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 39: Back to back to back to back

Early season baseball games don't often raise much interest, but the April 17, 1976 game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Chicago Cubs was the exception that proved the rule. In that game, Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt became the first National League player to hit home runs in four consecutive at bats. 

The Phils needed every one of those home runs, as they spotted the Cubs an early 12-1 lead (future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton was chased after giving up 7 earned runs in one and two-thirds innings). Schmidt, who had been moved down to sixth in the batting order due to a slump, 

The Phillies needed every one of those home runs (and then some), as the Cubs had jumped out to a 12-1 lead (they chased future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton after he gave up seven runs in one and two-thirds innings). Schmidt didn't hit his first home run until the fifth inning (making the score 13-4, Cubs), and his last homer in the 10th gave the Phils the lead, which they held to win 18-16. 

While he was the first player to hit four consecutive home runs in the National League, he was the fourth in major league baseball, behind Bobby Lowe of the Boston Beaneaters (1894), Lou Gehrig from the Yankees (1932) and Rocky Colavito from Cleveland (1959).

Schmidt would go on to lead the NL in home runs that year, as well as earn his first Gold Glove and second trip to the All Star Game (fitting played in Philadelphia). Schmidt played his entire career with the Phillies, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995, his first year of eligibility.