No big league catcher has ever hit 4 home runs in a game, but Bill Freehan is on the list of big league catchers who've hit 3 HRs in a game!
On August 9, 1971, the Tigers had a slugfest at Fenway Park with the Red Sox, with Boston claiming a 12-11 win.
✌️Bill hit 2 of his HRs off of A.L. Cy Young Award winners...in the 7th (off of Sparky Lyle), and in the 9th (off Jim Longborg.)
** I'm not sure how many players have hit HRs off off two different Cy Young Award winners in a game, but Freehan is one of them, and that's just pure awesomeness.
The 1971 Tigers, still loaded with talent from the '68 World Series Championship, had a terrific team, finishing the season with a 91-71 record.
In 1972 the Tigers won the American League Eastern Division and played in the ALCS against the Oakland Athletics.
🐯🐯🐯 In Game 3 at Tiger Stadium, Freehan doubled and hit a HR in the Tigers 3-0 victory.
1972 was the last time the Tigers would seriously make a run at a World Series until 1984.
In the 12 years between the two great Tigers teams, fans still had a couple more years of Norm Cash, Willie Horton, and Al Kaline, who retired following the 1974 season.
🐯⚾ Ron Leflore, Aurelio Rodriguez, Rusty Staub, Mark Fidrych, Jason Thompson, Steve Kemp helped us Tigers fans along until the '84 guys got it rolling towards that great 35-5 team made history.
I'll be back tomorrow for Day 4 in my countdown.
Have an sensational Saturday, and, remember, to always, always, Play BALL! ⚾
The "how many players have hit HR's off of two Cy Young winners in the same game?" sounds like it would be a good question for all of the baseball historians on Twitter.
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