Record Book: Here Are All Seven 3-Homer Games in Rays History
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Isaac Paredes made history on Tuesday night, hitting three home runs in a game to tie a Tampa Bay team record. It's happened seven times no in the Rays' 25-year history.
Paredes is the sixth player to do it, because All-Star Evan Longoria did it twice. He's the only player to do that, in 2008 and then again in 2012.
After Paredes' big night, we thought this was the perfect time to look back on these magical moments because there are a lot of fun facts to go along with every single episode.
Here's the great Rays history lesson for the day:
Isaac Paredes, June 21, 2022
- RAYS PLAYER: First baseman Isaac Paredes
- OPPONENT: New York Yankees
- LOCATION: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- DATE: June 21, 2022
- PITCHER(S): Nestor Cortes, allowed solo home run in first inning and solo home run in third inning; Clarke Schmidt, allowed two-run home run in fifth inning.
- RESULT: The Rays won, 5-4.
- BATS: Right-handed
- SEASON: These were home runs No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 on the season, and it gave him the team lead, catching and passing Kevin Kiermaier and Randy Arozarena in the process
- ODD FACT: Parades was hit by a pitch in his fourth at-bat in the seventh inning, and didn't get a chance to swing for a fourth homer.
Jun 21, 2022; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Isaac Paredes (17) hits a two run home run in the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Brandon Lowe, Oct. 2, 2021
- RAYS PLAYER: Second baseman Brandon Lowe
- OPPONENT: New York Yankees
- LOCATION: Yankee Stadium, New York, N.Y.
- DATE: Oct. 2, 2021
- PITCHER(S): Jordan Montgomery, allowed a three-run home run in first inning and three-run homer in third inning; Michael King, allowed a solo home run in seventh inning.
- RESULT: The Rays won, 12-2.
- BATS: Left-handed
- SEASON: These were home runs No. 37, No. 38 and No. 39 on the second-to-last day of the regular season, and he led the team in homers that season.
- ODD FACTS: Brandon Lowe is the only Rays player to hit three home runs in a road game. .... The thought was that the three-homer game by Lowe was a sure sign that he was red-hot going into the playoffs. As it turned out, Lowe went 0-for-18 against Boston, and the Rays were upset in the divisional round.
Tampa Bay second baseman Brandon Lowe had his biggest game ever against the Yankees, hitting three home runs and driving in seven runs. (USA TODAY Sports)
Travis d'Arnaud, July 15, 2019
- RAYS PLAYER: Catcher Travis d'Arnaud
- OPPONENT: New York Yankees
- LOCATION: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- DATE: July 15, 2019
- PITCHER(S): James Paxton, allowed a lead-off home run in the first inning and another solo home run in the third inning; Aroldis Chapman, allowed a three-run homer in the ninth inning;
- RESULT: The Rays won, 5-4.
- BATS: Right-handed
- SEASON: These were home runs No. 7, No. 8 and No. 9. He hit 16 home runs for the Rays that season.
- ODD FACTS: Travis d'Arnaud is the only catcher on the list, and even more rare, he was the lead-off hitter as a catcher. ... The three-run home run in the ninth inning erased a 4-2 deficit. ... It was the first time all year that the Yankees had lost a game with a lead of two runs over more after eight innings.
Tampa Bay's Travis d'Arnaud (37) hits a grand slam during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Evan Longoria, Oct. 3, 2012
- RAYS PLAYER: Third baseman Evan Longoria
- OPPONENT: Baltimore Orioles
- LOCATION: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- DATE: Oct. 3, 2012
- PITCHER(S): Chris Tillman, allowed a solo home run in the first and fourth innings; allowed a solo home run off of Jake Arrieta in the sixth inning.
- RESULT: The Rays won, 4-1.
- BATS: Right-handed
- SEASON: These were home runs No. 15, No. 16 and No. 17, and they came on the final day of the season. It was the Rays' 90th win of the year, but they missed the playoffs by two games.
- ODD FACTS: No one was surprised by Longoria's Game 162 heroics because the previous year he hit a game-winning homer on the final day of the season off of the New York Yankees to put the Rays in the playoffs. ... Longoria is the only Rays player do hit three home runs in a game twice. ... Arrieta was just a struggling reliever for the Orioles back in 2012 but later became a World Series champion in the Chicago Cubs' 2016 rotation.
St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria is the only Rays player to hit three home runs in a game more than once. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
B.J. Upton, Sept. 9, 2012
- RAYS PLAYER: Center fielder B.J. Upton
- OPPONENT: Texas Rangers
- LOCATION: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- DATE: Sept. 9, 2012
- PITCHER(S): Roy Oswalt, allowed a solo home run in the first; Martin Perez, allowed solo home runs in the fourth inning and sixth inning.
- RESULT: The Rays won, 6-0.
- BATS: Right-handed
- SEASON: These were home runs No. 19, No. 20 and No. 21 for Upton. He finished with 28 home runs in what was his eighth and final season with the Rays.
- ODD FACT: Longoria and Upton both did this in 2012, the only year where the Rays had two three-homer games in the same season. ... Upton's 28 home runs that year were a career high. He retied in 2016. ... Rangers pitcher Martin Perez is still doing his thing. The veteran is back with the Rangers this season, and he actually beat the Rays earlier this year.
Tampa Bay Rays center fielder B.J. Upton (2) was one of the most popular players on Rays for many years. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Evan Longoria, Sept. 18, 2008
- RAYS PLAYER: Third baseman Evan Longoria
- OPPONENT: Minnesota Twins
- LOCATION: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- DATE: Sept. 18, 2008
- PITCHER(S): Glen Perkins, two-run home run in the first; Philip Humber, solo home run in fourth inning; Bobby Korecky, solo home run in the sixth inning.
- RESULT: The Rays lost, 11-8.
- BATS: Right-handed.
- SEASON: These were home runs No. 23, No. 24 and No. 25, and Longoria finished with 27 home runs in his rookie season. It was a spectacular season, of course, the first time Rays made the playoffs and won their first American League pennant before losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.
- ODD FACTS: This was the only time a Rays player hit three homer in a game but the team still lost. ... This was the first of Longoria's 10 seasons with the Rays, He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2008 and played in the All-Star that season as well. He's still going strong, playing in his fifth season now with the San Francisco Giants.
Tampa Bay's Willy Aybar (16) congratulates third baseman Evan Longoria (right) after he hit a home run (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Jonny Gomes, July 30, 2005
- RAYS PLAYER: Right fielder Jonny Gomes
- OPPONENT: Kansas City Royals
- LOCATION: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Fla.
- DATE: July 30, 2005
- PITCHER(S): Zach Greinke, allowed solo home runs in the third and fifth innings; Mike MacDougal, allowed a solo home run in the eighth inning.
- RESULT: The Rays won, 7-4.
- BATS: Right-handed
- SEASON: These were home runs No. 10, No. 11 and No. 12 for Gomes that season. and he hit a career-high 21 home runs that season. This was his third of six seasons with the Rays, and he played 13 years in the majors, retiring in 2015.
- ODD FACT: Gomes was the first Rays player to hit three home runs in a game, in its eighth year of existence. He is technically the only ''Devil Rays'' player to do it. All six other such instances came after the Rays changed their name and logo. ... The winning pitcher that night for the Rays was Doug Waechter, who's currently part of Rays' television broadcasts on Bally Sports Sun. ... The losing pitcher for the Royals was a young kid named Zach Greinke, who was in his second season with the Royals and went 5-17 that season. He is 206-108 since then and is still pitching. He's back with the Royals in his 19th season in the major leagues.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays right fielder (31) Jonny Gomes admires a home run in 2007. He played six of his 13 pro seasons in Tampa Bay. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY)
