Celebrate Father's Day with Epic Innings

June 21st, 2020

Father's Day is special. It's particularly special in baseball, a game that has long been passed from fathers to their children throughout its history. Celebrate this Father's Day with Epic Innings presented by Woodbridge. Half of the innings, which feature great father-son moments in baseball history, aired on Saturday on MLB.com and MLB Facebook and YouTube; the rest streamed on Sunday. Here's a breakdown of Sunday's installment, which you can rewatch in its entirety above:

Sunday, June 21

Bunning throws perfect game on Father's Day

There have only been 23 perfect games in MLB history, and exactly one of those happened on Father's Day. It was thrown by the Phillies' Jim Bunning at Shea Stadium on June 21,1964. In the first game of a doubleheader against the Mets, Bunning achieved perfection with 10 strikeouts to do something that, at that time, had only been done six times before.

Griffey hits 500th homer with dad watching

Fourteen years after he and his dad made history by hitting back-to-back homers in Anaheim, the two were together at the ballpark again, but this time it was Ken Griffey Jr. who was the only one on the field. Ken Griffey Sr. was in the stands as his son, who was playing for his former team, the Reds, connected for the 500th home run of his illustrious career on June 20, 2004.

Beckham delivers walk-off hit on Father's Day

On Father's Day in 2015 (June 21), veteran infielder Gordon Beckham hit a walk-off home run to lift the White Sox to a 3-2, 11-inning victory over the Rangers. It came in Beckham's first plate appearance of the game after entering as a defensive replacement in the 10th inning.

Vladimir Guerrero and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vlad Sr. belts walk-off homer, driving in his brother
It was a family affair at Olympic Stadium on June 29, 1999, when Expos slugger Vladimir Guerrero crushed a three-run walk-off shot to lift Montreal to a 6-5 victory. Entering the bottom of the ninth, the Expos were trailing, 5-1. That's when Mike Mordecai delivered an RBI double and Wilton Guerrero, Vladimir's brother, reached on an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to four. Vladimir then stepped to the plate and capped the remarkable comeback with a homer to left-center off Atlanta closer John Rocker.

Vlad Jr. gets first MLB hit in Blue Jays' walk-off win
To that point 0-for-3 in his MLB career, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. led off the bottom of the ninth inning against the Athletics with a double to right field off reliever Yusmeiro Petit. That set the stage for Brandon Drury's two-run walk-off homer in Toronto's 4-2 victory. It was the start of a strong rookie campaign for Guerrero Jr., who went on to hit .272/.339/.433 with 15 home runs in 123 games.

Dante and Bo Bichette

Bichette hits walk-off homer in first game at Coors
On a bitterly cold night in Denver on April 26, 1995, the Mets and Rockies went back and forth for 14 innings before the Opening Day contest was decided on a three-run walk-off homer from Dante Bichette that christened Coors Field with a victory. Bichette smashing the no-doubter and then pumping his fist toward the home dugout became an iconic moment in franchise history.

Bo's first Major League hit, with dad looking on
Bo Bichette made his Major League debut on July 29, 2019, in the same ballpark his father made his big league debut 21 years earlier, Kauffman Stadium. With Dante looking on, Bo singled to left field in his first career plate appearance, marking the start of a tremendous rookie season in which he slashed .311/.358/.571 with 11 homers in 46 games.

Bo smashes walk-off homer vs. Yankees
After collecting two hits, including his 17th double in 41 career games, Bichette added to an already long list of highlight-reel-worthy accomplishments in his first big-league season, delivering a 12th-inning walk-off homer to beat the Yankees at Rogers Centre on Sept. 13, 2019.

Craig and Cavan Biggio

Biggio reaches 3,000-hit milestone with son watching
As part of a five-hit night, future Hall of Famer Craig Biggio joined the exclusive 3,000-hit club with a single to right-center field against the Rockies in the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. His family, including son Cavan, came out onto the field to congratulate him on the historic feat.

Cavan collects his first Major League hit
A dozen years after his dad lined hit No. 3,000 into right-center field at Minute Maid Park, Cavan Biggio got his first big league hit on May 26, 2019, against the Padres at Rogers Centre. He had been 0-for-6 for his career entering that game, but broke out of that brief slump with a 3-for-4 night, including his first hit -- a single to right field in the second inning -- and first home run, a solo shot in the fourth. Craig was in attendance to watch his son's milestone performance.

Like father, like son -- Craig and Cavan hit for cycle 12 years apart
Craig Biggio hit for the cycle against the Rockies at Coors Field on April 8, 2002. He opened the game with a single to center field, tripled down the left-field line in the third, launched a two-run homer to left in the fourth and doubled in two more runs in the eighth to help Houston to an 8-4 victory. A dozen years later, Cavan hit for the cycle against the Orioles at Camden Yards -- on Sept. 17, 2019, he belted a two-run homer in the third, singled to right in the sixth, doubled to right in the eighth and delivered a two-run triple in the ninth to help Toronto beat Baltimore, 8-5.

Bob, Aaron and Bret Boone

Bob Boone helps Phillies win 1980 World Series
In the third inning of Game 6 of the 1980 World Series, Bob Boone led off with a walk and scored as part of a pivotal two-run rally for the Phillies at Veterans Stadium. Then in the sixth, Boone delivered an RBI single and Philadelphia went on to beat the Royals, 4-1, to clinch the championship.

Aaron and Bret Boone start in same infield for Reds
On Sept. 27, 1998, the Reds started two different sets of brothers on the same infield in their game against the Pirates at Cinergy Field. Bob Boone's sons, Aaron and Bret, as well as the Larkin brothers -- Barry and Stephen -- were all infielders when the first pitch was thrown. Aaron Boone played third base and his brother, Bret, played second. Barry Larkin played shortstop and his brother, Stephen, played first base. Aaron Boone had the big hit of the game, a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth inning of Cincinnati's 4-1 victory.

Boone brothers go deep twice in the same inning
What are the odds? Aaron and Bret Boone each hit two home runs in the same inning of a game, in two different games in 2002. On May 2, Bret homered twice for the Mariners in a 10-run first inning against the White Sox at Comiskey Park. Then, on Aug. 9, Aaron hammered two homers in a nine-run first inning for the Reds, and hit three in all for the game.

Harper wins Derby with dad

Bryce Harper, in his final season with the Nationals, gave the hometown fans a memorable performance when he won the 2018 Home Run Derby at Nationals Park. His dad was his pitcher, and in a touching moment after winning the trophy, Harper raised his father's hand in victory.

Polanco homers, dad celebrates on Father's Day

Though his Pirates lost to the Reds, 8-6, Gregory Polanco hit a memorable home run at PNC Park on Father's Day in 2018, especially given the reaction it produced in his father, who was in the stands. Polanco connected for a solo homer to center field on June 17, and it sent his dad into jubilation as he caught video of the homer on his phone.

Emotional Father's Day walk-off single for Trevino

On the same day as Polanco's homer with his dad in attendance in PIttsburgh, Jose Trevino had a big Father's Day moment as well. He delivered a two-run walk-off single off Rockies closer Wade Davis in the bottom of the ninth inning at Globe Life Park to cap a 13-12 comeback victory for the Rangers. It was particularly emotional for Trevino, who had just become a father himself after losing his father four years earlier, the same year he was drafted. On top of that, Trevino had just made his Major League debut two days earlier.