9 HRs in 1 game? That's just part of this slugfest

May 17th, 2022

A home run derby broke out at Hodgetown in Amarillo, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon, as the Tulsa Drillers slugged nine dingers against the Amarillo Sod Poodles, recording the most homers hit by one team in a Double-A game since at least 2005 and the fourth most in a full-season Minor League game in that same timeframe.

Tulsa hit four homers in the ninth inning alone, turning a 12-10 deficit into a 15-12 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

With the Sod Poodles slamming four home runs of their own, Tuesday’s game had the second-most dingers (13) hit by both teams in a full-season Minor League contest since at least 2005.

Only two AL/NL teams -- the 1987 Blue Jays (10) and the 1999 Reds (nine) -- have hit at least nine home runs in a game, and the AL/NL record for combined homers in a game is 13.

Tulsa’s eruption came the same day second baseman Michael Busch (the Dodgers' No. 3 prospect) was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Busch had 11 homers and a 1.112 OPS for the Drillers this season, but the rest of the team’s lineup was able to pick up the slack in his absence on Tuesday.

Seven players homered for the Drillers, and Kody Hoese (the Dodgers' No. 24 prospect) and Ryan Ward went deep two times each. Hoese, who came in with zero home runs on the season, also had a single and a triple, and his 12 total bases are tied for the third most in a Minor League game this year.