D-backs' best single-game hitting displays
There have been some amazing single-game offensive performances by D-backs hitters over the years, but which are the best of the best?
Here's my take on the Top 5 individual offensive performances during regular-season games by a D-backs player:
1. J.D. Martinez, Sept. 4, 2017, at Dodgers
The night did not start out well for Martinez, who fanned in his first at-bat at Dodger Stadium. It was the last out he would make in the game, as he homered in his next four at-bats, going yard in the fourth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings.
Martinez became the 18th player in Major League history to hit four home runs in a single game. The homers each came off different pitchers, and he hit them to just about every spot in the ballpark -- left, center, right and left-center.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, it was the first time in Major League history that a player had more home runs than the opposing team had hits, as the Dodgers notched just three singles in the 13-0 Arizona win.
"I don’t know how to explain it," Martinez said after the game. "It’s one of those things where you work real hard and find that perfect swing and find one of those days where everything just kind of lines up. Today, I felt like, was one of those days. I was seeing the ball well and when I was swinging, I was hitting them.
2. Erubiel Durazo, May 17, 2002, vs. Phillies
In his second game after returning from a stint on the injured list, Durazo had one of the best offensive nights that Chase Field (then Bank One Ballpark) has ever seen.
It was also the second game after then-manager Bob Brenly announced that Durazo would take over the starting duties at first base from veteran Mark Grace.
Durazo hit two-run homers in the first, sixth and seventh innings and capped his night with a three-run double in the eighth inning as the D-backs beat the Phillies, 12-9.
"I felt good at the plate and I hit the ball pretty good today," Durazo said. "I was just trying to hit the ball, I wasn't trying to hit home runs."
3. Aaron Hill, June 29, 2012, at Brewers
Hill hit for the cycle against the Brewers, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs. On its own, this game may not have gotten him into the Top 5.
But what made the cycle so impressive was that it came 11 days after he hit for his first career cycle against the Mariners at Chase Field.
“It’s a great feat,” then-manager Kirk Gibson said. “He’s been locked in lately. Certainly, since he’s been in the No. 2 spot, he’s been crushing the ball. He’s just really been hitting mistakes. They’re elevating the ball and he’s not missing them.”
4. Shea Hillenbrand, July 7, 2003, vs. Rockies
The D-backs acquired Hillenbrand from the Red Sox on May 29, 2003, hoping he would provide their offense with a lift.
Hillenbrand did just that a little more than a month later when he went 5-for-5 with three homers, seven RBIs and 15 total bases against the Rockies.
Hillenbrand singled in the second, led off the fourth and fifth innings with homers, hit a three-run homer in the sixth and collected a two-run double in the seventh. He became just the sixth player in Major League history to homer in three consecutive innings.
5. Greg Colbrunn, Sept. 18, 2002, at Padres
Colbrunn was not known for his speed, so the most impressive part of his hitting for the cycle on Sept. 18 was definitely the triple, which came with one out in the ninth inning.
"What are the odds of me hitting a triple?" Colbrunn said. "I was up there trying to take advantage of another at-bat."
Colbrunn hit two homers on the night, and his teammates joked that it was so unlikely that he would hit a triple that he should have just failed to touch home plate on one of his homers in order to be credited with a triple.