Trailing, 3-2, to the Cincinnati Reds in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Phillies erupted for five home run in a 10-run inning that led to a 12-3 win before 10,549 fans at Shibe Park on June 2, 1949. The five-homer inning hasn't been matched in franchise history.
The Phillies were the second club to do that in Major League history. The New York Giants were the first, on June 6, 1939, against the Reds. Since the Phils did it, it has happened two other times in the National League -- and the Reds were the victim each time.
Catcher Andy Seminick got the Phillies on the scoreboard with a solo home run to give them a 1-0 lead after two innings. It was a warmup for the 28-year-old right-handed hitter.
Southpaw Ken Raffensberger, who was traded to the Reds by the Phils in 1947, had allowed two runs on four hits through seven. It quickly changed as Del Ennis and Seminick started the big inning with back-to-back home runs.
Joe Dobernic relieved and got two outs, but he also gave up two solo homers to third baseman Willie Jones and relief pitcher Schoolboy Rowe, giving the Phillies a 5-3 pad. It was the 18th and final career homer for the 39-year-old Rowe.
Dobernic was replaced by Kent Peterson, and the Phils' offense kept going. A walk, double, error and an Ennis single produced two more runs. Seminick followed with his third homer of the game and second of the inning.
There's more. A hit batter and Jones' triple ended the 10-run frame, the Phillies' biggest eighth inning. Fifty years later, the record was broken when the club scored 11 on 10 hits vs. the Brewers in Milwaukee. There were no home runs.
Seminick was the first Phillies player to homer twice in one inning. Von Hayes matched him in 1985. Seminick was the fifth Phils player to hit three in a game, joining John Manning (1884), Walt Henline (1922), Cy Williams (1923) and John Moore (1936).