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Glendale CF Robert Day was not the most likely candidate to hit three home runs in a game. At 5’7” and 160 pounds, he was one of the smallest players in the league. His scouting report for 1912 said that we was a strong defensive center fielder with speed who wasn’t particularly good at base running, making contact, or hitting for power. He was, however, known as a great teammate, and a fun-loving prankster. So, when he had his big game, everyone in the dugout and the home crowd was thrilled to see it.
Day was the number 9 hitter in the lineup on August 6. He came up to bat in the bottom of the 2nd, with 2 in and a man on. After falling behind in the count 1-2, he lifted a fly ball into the stands in straightaway left to give his team a 4 run lead.
He came up to the plate again in the 3rd with another run in and two men on base. This time, he hit the ball down the line. It didn’t get out by much, but it was enough to put his team up 8-0.
Day hit his third home run leading off the bottom of the 5th to make the score 9-0. For the rest of the game, Day walked in the 6th and struck out in the 8th. He ended the day 3-4 with 3 home runs, 3 runs scored, and 6 RBI. The home runs he hit in the game were only his 4th, 5th, and 6th of the season.
You can be sure that being the jokester he was know to be, Day never let his teammates forget that he was the first player in team history to hit three home runs in a game.
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