It is rare that a Major League player’s first two home runs come in one game. In Phillies history, it has happened only nine times in more than 21,000 games.
Some players are well known. Others not as familiar. Even more rare -- one of the nine was a pitcher. The exclusive nine in chronological order:
Jack Knight
Jack was a right-handed pitcher on the 1926 Phillies. June 24 first game of a Thursday afternoon doubleheader at the Polo Grounds. Knight, a left-handed hitter, homered twice and drove in five runs, the only two in 102 career at-bats. Oh, he allowed two in his 6.2 innings on the mound that afternoon. His homers came off Jack Scott and Jimmy Ring, former Phillies teammates.
Glen Stewart
A right-handed hitting infielder with the Phillies for two seasons (1943-44), his big day also came at the Polo Grounds, August 7, 1943. Johnnie Wittig and Harry Feldman were the victims. Stewart’s only home runs in 742 big-league at-bats
Del Ennis
A product of Philadelphia’s Olney High School, Del broke in the Minors in 1943 and spent next two years in the Navy during World War II. He was discharged on April 5, 1946 and made his big league debut in the Phillies ninth game of that season, April 28. In his eighth game, (May 5, second game of DH in Wrigley Field), Ennis drilled his first two home runs. First one came off Claude Passeau, former Phillies pitcher, and second off Hi Bithorn.
Tony Curry
A 22-year-old left-handed hitter from the Bahamas made his major league debut on April 12, 1960. Playing in his 18th game, Curry went deep twice in Cincinnati’s Crosley Field on May 14. Both came off Jay Hook.
Don Money
A shortstop acquired from the Pirates in a 1967 trade involving Jim Bunning. After 15 plate appearances in 1968, Money, 22, was the Phillies' shortstop on Opening Day (April 8) in Wrigley Field the following year. Both homers came off Fergie Jenkins, a future Hall of Famer.
Bobby Pfeil
Bobby’s lone season with the Phillies was 1971. His only two homers came on July 27, the first game of a doubleheader vs. the Astros at Veterans Stadium. Larry Dierker yielded both. A second-third baseman, Pfeil started two games behind the plate in 106 games. One was this game.
Scott Rolen
Scott made his Major League debut on August 1, 1996, against St. Louis at the Vet. Twenty days later he drilled his first two home runs in a game at Dodger Stadium vs. Hideo Nomo and Darren Dreifort.
Rhys Hoskins
Playing in his fifth Major League game, he went deep twice, August 14, 2017, in San Diego. Travis Wood and Craig Stammen. Hoskins was a left fielder then.
Nick Maton
Starting shortstop on May 16, 2021, his 25th game in the Majors, Nick belted two home runs off Blue Jay’s lefty Robbie Ray. They came in back-to-back innings, fifth and sixth. The game was played in TD Ballpark in Dunedin, where Toronto was playing their early season games because of the pandemic.