Flashback Friday: Blue Jays to Hit Home Runs From Both Sides of the Plate in One Game
It’s difficult enough to hit a home run from one side of the plate, let alone two. How’s this for ramping up the difficulty level; hitting a home run from both sides of the plate in a single game?
To this date, only 286 players have ever accomplished that rare feat, while only six Toronto Blue Jays players have hit home runs in one game batting both left and right-handed.
For this week’s Flashback Friday, we’ll take a look at the definitive list of Blue Jays hitters to pick up home runs from both sides of the plate in a single game.
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| Batter | Date |
|---|---|
| Roberto Alomar | 5/10/1991 |
| Devon White | 6/1/1992 |
| Roberto Alomar | 5/3/1995 |
| Jose Cruz Jr. | 8/24/1997 |
| Gregg Zaun | 9/13/2006 |
| Melky Cabrera | 7/28/2014 |
| Justin Smoak | 7/1/2015 |
Some of the names on this list likely won’t surprise you; Roberto Alomar was one of the best hitters to wear a Blue Jays uniform, let alone the fact that he could hit with proficiency and power from either side of the plate.
Devon White was another impact bat at the top of the Jays order in the early nineties. White batted in the leadoff spot predominantly throughout his Blue Jays career, and in doing so became the table-setter for several potent Blue Jays lineups.
Jose Cruz Jr. was an extremely versatile hitter for the Blue Jays from 1997 to 2002 and still holds the Blue Jays single season franchise records as a switch-hitter for most home runs, slugging percentage, extra base hits and total bases in a season during his 2001 campaign.
Gregg Zaun secured the everyday starting catcher position for the better part of six seasons with the Blue Jays. And while he wasn’t necessarily regarded as a typical home run threat, his ability to go yard both left and right-handed proved to be valuable.
Then there’s Melky Cabrera. His 2013 campaign was essentially a write-off, but when healthy, Melky was an incredible top-of-the-order hitter. He settled in quite nicely as the Jays’ number two hitter during the 2014 season.
Last July, he teed off twice in one game at Fenway Park (from both sides of the plate, mind you). The second of which completely left the yard and smashed some poor unsuspecting fan’s windshield.
Then there’s Justin Smoak who is the most recent inductee onto this list after his two home run game on Wednesday against the Boston Red Sox. The pair of home runs he hit that game might be some of the most impressive power from both sides of the plate that I’ve ever seen.
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According to Home Run Tracker, the first home run he hit left-handed traveled 432 feet. The second home run was hit a whopping 452 feet, tied for the third longest home run run hit at the Rogers Centre this season.
