Shawn Green knows how rare it is to hit four home runs in one game. After all, he’s one of only 18 players in MLB history to accomplish the feat.
“All the stars have to be lined up perfectly,” Green said Tuesday during Baseball Central on Sportsnet 590 The FAN.
Arizona Diamondbacks slugger J.D. Martinez became the latest member of the exclusive club when he launched four of Arizona’s six home runs Monday night in a 13-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Martinez’s power display comes at a time when home runs are being hit at a record pace in MLB. Green says the shift in players’ swings is evident as they place more emphasis on lifting the ball.
“I was never a huge fan of all the sabremetrics and ‘over’ analytics. I think most players don’t love that,” Green told hosts Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker. “It’s funny because when I was coming up, everyone was like, ‘Hit the ball on the ground, if you hit the ball in the air, you’re out.’
“Complete opposite. That was my approach early in my career, then when I started figuring out how to hit the ball with the right launch angle and get backspin, that’s when I really learned how to hit.”
Green’s magical game came on May 23, 2002, when as a member of the Dodgers, he hit four homers and tallied seven RBI against the Milwaukee Brewers. He clubbed 119 home runs during his tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays from 1993 to 1999 and finished his career with 328 dingers.
Listen to the full interview in the player below.
