Golden sombrero
In baseball, a golden sombrero is a player's inglorious feat of striking out four times in a single game.
Origin of the term
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.[1] The "Olympic Rings" or platinum sombrero applies to a player striking out five times in a game,[2] while a horn (after Sam Horn of the Baltimore Orioles, who accomplished the feat in an extra-inning game in 1991),[3] titanium sombrero or double platinum sombrero is bestowed upon a player who strikes out six times in a single game.[4]
The term was coined by San Diego Padres player Carmelo Martínez in the 1980s and first appeared in print when Leon Durham was quoted as using it in 1984.[5] The term "Horn" for a six-strikeout game was coined by Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan after Horn's six strikeout game.[6]
History
Sammy Sosa and Ray Lankford are the only players to hit for a platinum sombrero more than twice.[3] Only eight players have had six strikeouts, listed below.[3] All eight players who accomplished a "Horn" needed extra innings to do it; the record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game is five.[7]
On August 4, 2009, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 2 for 6, recording a golden sombrero and 2 home runs. The second home run was a walk off home run. This feat was also accomplished by Brandon Moss of the Oakland Athletics on April 30, 2013 in a 19-inning game against the Los Angeles Angels.[8] They are the only players to record four strikeouts and two home runs (the second a walk-off) in a single game in the live-ball era.
On May 29, 2014, in a game against the New York Mets, Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies earned his 24th career Golden Sombrero, surpassing Reggie Jackson to take the all-time MLB lead for this statistic.
On May 29, 2015 San Diego Padres catcher Derek Norris struck out swinging in his first four plate appearances, then hit a walk-off grand slam, becoming the first MLB player to achieve a golden sombrero and a walk-off grand slam in the same game, in the modern era.[9]
On July 30, 2016 New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez became the first MLB player to earn a Golden Sombrero after the age of 40 while having earned one before the age of 20. [10]
On June 13, 2017, Chicago Cubs Second baseman Ian Happ went 1 for 5, recording a golden sombrero and a grand slam.
On July 25, 2017, Chicago Cubs infielder Javier Baez went 0 for 5, recording a platinum sombrero. On the same day, Seattle Mariners designated hitter Nelson Cruz went 0 for 6 with five strikeouts, also recording a platinum sombrero. This marked the first time in Major League history in which two players from two different games achieved platinum sombreros in the same day (although due to extra innings, Cruz's fifth strikeout technically occurred on July 26).
The record for strikeouts in a game in all of professional baseball belongs to minor league baseball player Khalil Lee of the Lexington Legends, who in 2017 struck out eight times in a twenty-one inning baseball game.[11]
Major league players with most four-strikeout games [12]
Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame | |
Denotes player who is still active |
Player | Games | Major teams |
---|---|---|
Howard, RyanRyan Howard | 27 | Philadelphia Phillies |
Jackson, ReggieReggie Jackson | 23 | New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics |
Thome, JimJim Thome | 20 | Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies |
Dunn, AdamAdam Dunn | 19 | Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds |
Jackson, BoBo Jackson | 19 | Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals |
Deer, RobRob Deer | 17 | Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers |
Sosa, SammySammy Sosa | 17 | Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers |
Canseco, JoseJose Canseco | 16 | Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics |
Reynolds, MarkMark Reynolds | 16 | Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals |
Allen, DickDick Allen | 15 | Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox |
Galarraga, AndrésAndrés Galarraga | 15 | Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies |
Kingman, DaveDave Kingman | 15 | New York Mets, San Francisco Giants |
Major league players with six strikeouts in a game
Player | Date | Innings | Team | Box score |
---|---|---|---|---|
Weilman, CarlCarl Weilman | July 25, 1913 | 15 | St. Louis Browns | [13] |
Hoak, DonDon Hoak | May 2, 1956 | 17 | Chicago Cubs | [14] |
Reichardt, RickRick Reichardt | May 31, 1966 | 17 | California Angels | [15] |
Cowan, BillyBilly Cowan | July 9, 1971 | 20 | California Angels | [16] |
Cooper, CecilCecil Cooper | June 14, 1974 | 15 | Boston Red Sox | [17] |
Horn, SamSam Horn | July 17, 1991 | 15 | Baltimore Orioles | [18] |
Gonzalez, AlexAlex Gonzalez | September 9, 1998 | 13 | Toronto Blue Jays | [19] |
Jenkins, GeoffGeoff Jenkins | June 8, 2004 | 17 | Milwaukee Brewers | [20] |
References
- ↑ "Baseball Reference – "Golden Sombrero"".
- ↑ Michael, Matt (April 9, 2005). "Extra bases". Syracuse Post-Standard.
- 1 2 3 Rob Neyer article at Baseball Nation
- ↑ "ESPN – More amazing stories to watch for – MLB".
- ↑ The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, third edition, p. 374
- ↑ Tom Verducci article, Sports Illustrated, July 29, 1991
- ↑ "Strikeout Records for Hitters by Baseball Almanac".
- ↑ "Jayson Stark Blog".
- ↑ "Derek Norris hits walkoff grand slam after striking out four times".
- ↑ Feinsand, Mark. Alex Rodriguez sports Golden Sombrero in return to Yankees’ lineup. New York Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/alex-rodriguez-earns-golden-sombrero-return-yankees-lineup-article-1.2732590 Accessed August 1, 2016
- ↑ "July 13, 2017". milb.com. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ↑ Ryan Howard extends K record Philly.com May 27, 2015. http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/boopstats/Ryan-Howard-Extends-K-Record0527.html Accessed May 28, 2015.
- ↑ "July 25, 1913 St. Louis Browns at Washington Senators Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com".
- ↑ "May 2, 1956 New York Giants at Chicago Cubs Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com".
- ↑ "May 31, 1966 Cleveland Indians at California Angels Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com".
- ↑ "July 9, 1971 California Angels at Oakland Athletics Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com".
- ↑ "June 14, 1974 Boston Red Sox at California Angels Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com".
- ↑ "July 17, 1991 Baltimore Orioles at Kansas City Royals Box Score and Play by Play - Baseball-Reference.com".
- ↑ "September 9, 1998 Cleveland Indians at Toronto Blue Jays Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com".
- ↑ "June 8, 2004 Milwaukee Brewers at Anaheim Angels Play by Play and Box Score - Baseball-Reference.com".
External links
Look up golden sombrero in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Rocky Mountain News August 17, 2006 quoting Don Baylor
- Athlon Sports May 8, 2007: 4 leadoff hitters with golden sombrero.
- Baseball Reference – Most natural golden sombreros
- Baseball Almanac – Strikeout Records for Hitters