RetroSimba

(Updated Aug. 16, 2019)

Johnny Mize played six seasons for the Cardinals (1936-41) and never for a championship team in St. Louis, but he left a legacy as a slugger supreme.

Mize was the first player to hit three home runs in a game four times as a Cardinal.

Mize achieved the feat in two seasons: doing it twice in 1938 and twice in 1940.

Here’s a look at how he did it:

_ July 13, 1938: Mize hit three consecutive home runs against Jim Turner of the Braves, but Boston won, 10-5, at St. Louis. Mize hit a two-run shot in the fourth, a solo homer in the fifth and a two-run homer in the eighth. Box score

_ July 20, 1938: In Game 2 of a doubleheader at St. Louis, Mize hit two home runs off starter Slick Castleman (in the first and third innings) and another off Bill Lohrman (in the eighth)  in a 7-1 Cardinals victory. Box score

_ May 13, 1940: Played on a Monday afternoon in Cincinnati, this was one of the most unusual games in Cardinals history. Box score

The game was called because of darkness with the score 8-8 after 14 innings. All statistics counted, but the tie didn’t count in the standings and the game was replayed as part of an Aug. 11 doubleheader.

Mize hit home runs off Reds ace Johnny Vander Meer in the second and third innings. His 13th-inning home run off Milt Shoffner gave the Cardinals an 8-7 lead.

Cincinnati scored in the bottom of the 13th.

Although there were lights at Crosley Field, a National League rule prohibited lights from being turned on to finish a day game.

_ Sept. 8, 1940: In Game 1 of a doubleheader at St. Louis, Mize slugged home runs in three consecutive at-bats, but the Pirates beat the Cardinals, 16-14. Box score

Mize had two other three-homer games: for the Giants in 1947 and for the Yankees in 1950. He and Sammy Sosa share the big-league record for most three-homer games, with six.