In baseball, golden sombrero is a slang term used to describe a player's inglorious feat of striking out four times in a single game.
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The term derives from hat trick, and since four is bigger than three, the rationale was that a four-strikeout performance should be referred to by a bigger hat, such as a sombrero. The "Olympic Rings" or platinum sombrero applies to a player striking out five times in a game,[1] while a horn (after Sam Horn of the Baltimore Orioles, who accomplished the feat in an extra-inning game in 1991) or titanium sombrero is bestowed upon a player who strikes out six times in a single game.[2]
The term was coined by San Diego Padre Carmelo Martinez in the 1980s.
To date, no Major League Baseball player has ever struck out more than five times in a nine-inning game. However, striking out 5 times has been done. This feat has been achieved 58 times.
On August 4, 2009, Tampa Bay Rays third basemen Evan Longoria went 2 for 6, recording a golden sombrero and 2 home runs. The second home run was a walk off home run.
The record for strikeouts in a game in all of professional baseball belongs to Russ Laribee of the minor league Pawtucket Red Sox, who in 1981 struck out seven times in a thirty-three inning baseball game.[3]
| Player | Date | Innings | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Weilman | July 25, 1913 | 15 | St. Louis Browns |
| Don Hoak | May 2, 1956 | 17 | Chicago Cubs |
| Rick Reichardt | May 31, 1966 | 17 | California Angels |
| Billy Cowan | July 9, 1971 | 20 | California Angels |
| Cecil Cooper | June 14, 1974 | 15 | Boston Red Sox |
| Sam Horn | July 17, 1991 | 15 | Baltimore Orioles |
| Alex Gonzalez | September 9, 1998 | 13 | Toronto Blue Jays |
| Geoff Jenkins | June 8, 2004 | 17 | Milwaukee Brewers |