Record Holders: Mark Whiten (1993) and Shawn Green (2002)
Mark Whiten never played three consecutive full seasons with a team in his MLB career. He finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting in 1991. Outside of that, he received no accolades. But for one day - Sept. 7, 1993 - he was the king of the baseball world.
Today in 1993: Mark Whiten has one of the greatest offensive games in MLB history. He hit 4 home runs & had 12 RBIs, becoming the only player ever to accomplish both feats in one game. pic.twitter.com/N3WNYWGZ6E
— Stirrups Now! (@uniformcritic) September 7, 2024
Whiten's 12 RBI tied another Cardinal, Jim Bottomley (Sept. 16, 1924) for the most in a single game in MLB history. His career-high RBI total (99) unsurprisingly came the same year as his prolific power outburst.
Player | Years Played | Career Home Runs | Career OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|
Mark Whiten | 11 (1990-2000) | 105 | 102 |
Shawn Green | 15 (1993-2007) | 328 | 120 |
On May 23, 2002, Green went 6-for-6 against the Milwaukee Brewers. He had four homers, a double and a single, giving him 19 total bases. That mark still stands as the MLB record, which was held by another member of this list - Joe Adcock - for nearly 50 years before Green came along.
Trade Payoffs: Mike Cameron (2002), Josh Hamilton (2012) and J.D. Martinez (2017)
You never truly know how a trade will work out in baseball. Fernando Tatis Jr. was 17 years old when the San Diego Padres traded James Shields for him - and pitcher Erik Johnson - in 2016. Even the most optimistic of Padres fans couldn't have expected him to be quite this good when that deal commenced.
Mike Cameron had the unenviable task of replacing Ken Griffey Jr. for the Seattle Mariners. The centerpiece of their return from the Reds was everything they could have hoped for and more. Cameron recorded 18.4 bWAR across four seasons in the Pacific Northwest.
Mike Cameron, who turns 45 today, is one of just 18 players to hit four homers in a game. 💪💪💪💪 pic.twitter.com/lpIUIFdDcw
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) January 8, 2018
Cameron's offensive outburst came in Chicago against the White Sox on May 2, 2002. As part of his four-homer game, he went back-to-back with Bret Boone twice in the first inning. They're the only two MLB players to ever pull off that magic act.
Player | Years Played | Career Home Runs | Career OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|
Mike Cameron | 17 (1995-2011) | 278 | 106 |
Josh Hamilton | 9 (2007-15) | 200 | 129 |
J.D. Martinez | 14 (2011-24) | 331 | 131 |
A decade later, Hamilton was making his mark with the Texas Rangers. The 2010 MVP, in the midst of his fifth consecutive All-Star season after being dealt to the Rangers by the Reds, became the second player to hit four home runs on the road in Baltimore on May 8, 2012.
Throwback to when Josh Hamilton went 5-5 with 4 HR and a double in ONE GAME pic.twitter.com/FPu6Ifenm4
— Rangers Nation ⚾️ (@rangers__nation) April 27, 2025
J.D. Martinez is currently a free agent. But back in 2017, he was one of the biggest pieces available at MLB's Trade Deadline. The Diamondbacks ponied up to get him for their playoff chase. He delivered the goods, slugging an absurd .741 with 29 homers across 62 games in the desert. Four of them came on Sept. 4, 2017 in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.
In case you missed it, @JDMartinez14 made history hitting 4 homers in last night's #DbacksWin: https://t.co/7iJw1SMCVW#JustDingers pic.twitter.com/HY1C7dRrd4
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) September 5, 2017
Martinez has a career in pickleball pending his retirement. Following an underwhelming 2024, he may have a tough time getting back to the majors at age-37. But he - and Arizona fans - will always have his demolition of the Dodgers to hang their hat on.