Only Bonds had ever hit two splash homers in one game. Until now
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When you think of iconic splash hits into McCovey Cove in San Francisco, you think of Barry Bonds. It's hard not to envision that mighty left-handed swing depositing balls into the bay. But another name will now be mentioned in the same breath, an unexpected one who wears the same black and yellow colors Bonds did for seven years -- Jack Suwinski.
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In the Pirates' otherwise forgettable 14-4 loss to the Giants on Monday, Suwinski launched two homers into McCovey Cove, becoming the only player besides Bonds to accomplish that twice in one game. Bonds, you won't be particularly surprised to hear, did it in two different games -- on May 10, 2000, against Cardinals pitchers Andy Benes and Heathcliff Slocumb, and then again on May 18, 2002, against Marlins hurlers Brad Penny and Vic Darensbourg.
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Suwinski's impressive splash feat does come with a footnote, though, since his second homer came off position player Brett Wisely, who delivered a 59.4 mph "slider" that did not fool Suwinski. Even with the paltry velocity, it came off the bat at 108.5 mph and traveled 414 feet.
"I think we see once Jack gets back on time, the ball can go a long way," said manager Derek Shelton. "He hit the second one off of a position player, but the first one he hit and flushed that up."
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Though his homers don't always find a body of water, Suwinski -- who said he didn't realize the dingers had splashed down until he returned to the dugout -- does have a tendency to go deep in bunches. Monday marked his third multihomer game of this season and brought his 2023 total to 11, with six of them coming in three games. He also notably had a three-homer game in 2022 ... against the Giants, the last of which was a walk-off winner.
If you're looking for something Suwinski has done that Bonds never did, then look no further. While wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform, Bonds never had three homers in a game, despite hitting 176 of them in his time with the team.
-- With additional reporting from Justice delos Santos