Golden sombrero

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In baseball, a golden sombrero is a player's inglorious feat of striking out four times in a single game.

Origin of the term

The term derives from hat trick, and since four is bigger than three, the rationale was that a four-strikeout performance should be referred to by a bigger hat, such as a sombrero.[1] The "Olympic Rings" or platinum sombrero applies to a player striking out five times in a game,[2] while a horn (after Sam Horn of the Baltimore Orioles, who accomplished the feat in an extra-inning game in 1991),[3] titanium sombrero or double platinum sombrero is bestowed upon a player who strikes out six times in a single game.[4]

The term was coined by San Diego Padres player Carmelo Martínez in the 1980s[citation needed] and first appeared in print when Leon Durham was quoted as using it in 1984.[5] The term "Horn" for a six-strikeout game was coined by Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan after Horn's six strikeout game.[6]

History

Sammy Sosa and Ray Lankford are the only players to hit for a platinum sombrero more than twice.[3][7] Only eight players have had six strikeouts, listed below.[3] All eight players who accomplished a "Horn" needed extra innings to do it; the record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game is five.[8]

On August 4, 2009, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 2 for 6, recording a golden sombrero and 2 home runs. The second home run was a walk off home run. This feat was also accomplished by Brandon Moss of the Oakland Athletics on April 30, 2013 in a 19-inning game against the Los Angeles Angels.[9] They are the only players to record four strikeouts and two home runs (the second a walk-off) in a single game in the live-ball era.

On May 29, 2015 San Diego Padres catcher Derek Norris struck out swinging in his first four plate appearances, then hit a walk-off grand slam, becoming the first MLB player to achieve a golden sombrero and a walk-off grand slam in the same game, in the modern era.[10]

The record for strikeouts in a game in all of professional baseball belongs to minor league baseball player Russ Laribee of the Pawtucket Red Sox, who in 1981 struck out seven times in a thirty-three inning baseball game.[11] The record was tied on May 21, 2013 by Stockton Ports right fielder Dusty Robinson, in a 17-inning game against the Lake Elsinore Storm.

Major league players with four strikeouts or more in a game [12]

Key
dagger Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
double-dagger Denotes player who is still active
Player Games Major teams
Ryan Howarddouble-dagger 27 Philadelphia Phillies
Reggie Jacksondagger 23 New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics
Jim Thome 20 Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies
Adam Dunn 19 Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds
Bo Jackson 19 Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals
Rob Deer 17 Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers
Jose Canseco 16 Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics
Mark Reynoldsdouble-dagger 16 Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals
Dick Allen 15 Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox
Andrés Galarraga 15 Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies
Dave Kingman 15 New York Mets, San Francisco Giants

Major league players with six strikeouts in a game

Player Date Innings Team Box score
Carl Weilman July 25, 1913 15 St. Louis Browns
Don Hoak May 2, 1956 17 Chicago Cubs [13]
Rick Reichardt May 31, 1966 17 California Angels [14]
Billy Cowan July 9, 1971 20 California Angels [15]
Cecil Cooper June 14, 1974 15 Boston Red Sox [16]
Sam Horn July 17, 1991 15 Baltimore Orioles [17]
Alex Gonzalez September 9, 1998 13 Toronto Blue Jays [18]
Geoff Jenkins June 8, 2004 17 Milwaukee Brewers [19]

References

External links