The Braves Weird History With Four Home Run Games

The Atlanta Braves beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-7 in 10 innings to win the first road series of the season. They were able to stay ahead despite a historic night by Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. He became the 19th player in MLB history to hit four home runs in a one game.

To the Braves' luck, three of those shots were solo blasts. One was a two-run shot. A big night could have gotten that night out of hand real quickly.

Of the 19 times this occurred, six have been during a Braves game. Three four-homer games were hit by Braves players, and they were on the receiving end for the other three.

The first ever four-home run game was hit by Bobby Lowe of the Boston Beaneaters (eventually the Boston Braves) on May 30, 1894. This team set the stage for this feat and has continued to stay involved in the act.

While still in Boston, the Braves were on the receiving end of this feat for the first time when Hall of Fame Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman Gil Hodges hit four home runs and drove in seven RBIs on Aug. 31, 1950. Brooklyn won 19-3 at Ebbets Field.

Four home run games have followed the Braves around to every city they have played in. Four years later, they'd get payback against the Dodgers in the same stadium. Joe Adcock, also a first baseman, belted four home runs at Ebbets Field on July 31, 1954, to lift the Braves to a 15-7 win.

No other player hit four home runs in a game in the near four-year gap between the two first baseman exchanging feats.

Legendary ballplayer Willie Mays roped the Braves into another four-homer game in 1961. In front of 13,000 Milwaukee fans, he became the first National League player since Adcock to achieve this historic feat - one happened in the American League in between.

"Probably the most interested was Joe Adcock, the slugging first baseman," The Associated Press'Joe Reichler wrote. "Big Joe was the last National Leaguer to hammer four out of the park in one day."

Following Mays' big night, the Braves took a breather from this historic mark. They packed up for Atlanta five years after and another 20 years would go by in their new home before the feat would creep up on them again.

Bob Horner hit four home runs for the Braves at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on July 6, 1986. He drove in six of the team's eight runs that night. Unfortunately for the Braves, for just the second time in MLB history and for the first time in 90 years, a four-home game would not be enough to win the ballgame.

The Montreal Expos responded with a team effort of home runs that night. Andre Dawson, Al Newman and Mitch Webster combined for three home runs and drove in nine of the Expos 11 runs. Webster even had a five-hit game in the effort to overcome Horner's night.

That would be the most recent losing effort until Saturday night when the Braves yet again were able to avenge a loss involving four home runs in a game. They took out the Diamondbacks and added a new angle to their weird history with this achievement.

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