What Butler has in common with Betts, Kiner

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ A’s Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Ralph Kiner. Mookie Betts. Lawrence Butler.

In the history of MLB, those are the only players age 24 or younger with multiple three-homer games in a season. Butler joined those legendary players on Thursday by bashing a trio in a 10-9 loss to the Reds at Great American Ball Park. It’s a stat Butler still had some trouble fully grasping after learning about it on Friday.

“I was on my phone and came across it on Instagram,” Butler said. “That’s crazy company to be with. Mookie is amazing. Ralph was amazing. To be with those two guys is a crazy feeling.”

Butler finished a three-game series in Cincinnati going 7-for-14 with five home runs and eight RBIs. The performance was the continuation of a stretch in which the 24-year-old outfielder has emerged as one of the game’s elite power hitters in the past two months. Butler entered Friday with 17 of his 19 home runs this season coming since July 1, trailing only Aaron Judge (20) and Jake Burger (18) for most in the Majors over that span.

Ahead of Friday’s 9-2 A’s victory, Butler sat down to talk about his historic feat and his season.

MLB.com: I would imagine when a player does something as special as you just did, they would go back and watch it again. How many times have you gone back and watched that three-homer game?

Butler: I’ve been watching the video since the game was over. All the homers, especially the last one. That was probably my favorite homer I’ve ever hit in my life. I’ve been watching it nonstop.

MLB.com: You let out a huge scream after you hit that third homer. Obviously, it was a big moment in the game. What were you feeling in that moment?

Butler: It was raw emotion. That was a big spot in the game. Top of the ninth. I tied the game up. It was my third homer of the game and the farthest one of the game. Emotions just kind of took over, and I just kind of let out a big scream.

MLB.com: Your dad was there for the whole series. What did it mean to have him there watching it?

Butler: That’s amazing. He’s been with me since tee-ball. He took me to a lot of travel-ball games. He paid for me to play in tournaments and stuff like that. The least I can do is come out here and play good for him. Let him be able to see his money is paying off. It was amazing. I love my dad. That was cool.

MLB.com: I’m sure both of your three-homer games are special in their own ways. When you compare the two, the first one was in a blowout and the second one was in a close game. How do you view each one when you look back?

Butler: The first one, my brother was there [in Philadelphia] that weekend, but he left before the last game so he really didn’t get to see it. So, I’m going to have to go with the Cincinnati one just because pops was there and he got to watch it. Plus, I know a lot of those guys on the Reds like Will Benson, Rece Hinds, Elly [De La Cruz] and all those guys.

MLB.com: You and Benson both grew up in the same Sandtown area in Atlanta. What was it like reuniting with him in the big leagues for the first time?

Butler: Will and I have known each other since we were like 3 years old. He’s a little bit older than me, so he was always on the team that was like the age group above me. I’ve been like his little bro, and he’s been like my big bro for a long time. For both of us to hit multiple homers against each other in the same series, it was a dream come true.

MLB:com: A lot of great players have never even had one three-homer game. To have two in the same season, is that something you ever thought was even possible growing up?

Butler: That was probably the last thing I thought I would ever do on the baseball field. I never even thought about a three-homer game. I was like, ‘Two [homers] would be cool as [heck].’ To hit three is a dream come true. It’s just something that just happened. I didn’t try to go up there and do it, but it’s pretty cool.

MLB.com: A lot of people are talking about the A’s having one of the best records in MLB since July. What kind of statement are you guys making with this strong finish heading into next year?

Butler: We’re not even close to the same team we were last year. We’re a way better team. Better chemistry. We all get along in the clubhouse. We all bought into what the coaches are telling us to do, and it’s been working for us. We just want to let the league know that we’re coming. We’re a young team. We don’t have a lot of service time or guys with big contracts, but we’re not just going to go out there and lay down and let everybody beat us. We go out there, fight and try to win ballgames. We’re just trying to put the league on notice that we’re not that 100-loss Oakland A’s team anymore.