It’s one of the most exclusive clubs in all of sports, and Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers this week got to join.
He hit four home runs in a game against the Baltimore Orioles — a feat that’s been accomplished only 15 other times in major league history and only 13 times since 1900.
Even a perfect game isn’t as rare: There have been 21 of those, the most recent last month by Philip Humber of the White Sox.
It’s a feat that eluded most of the great home run hitters in baseball history.
Indeed, Lou Gehrig is the lone Yankee to accomplish it.
And Hamilton’s performance was one of the greatest ever: He went 5-for-5, adding a double to his output, something that’s only been done once before.
That gave him 18 total bases for the night — tieing him with Joe Adcock right below the 19-bases mark set by Shawn Green in 2002.
Perhaps best of all was Hamilton’s reaction to his accomplishment: “It reminds you of when you’re in Little League and a little kid, and just the excitement and why we play the game.”
All in all, a night for the ages.