(Chicago, IL) — Minnesota Twins slugger Nelson Cruz homered three
times in the first five innings against the Chicago White Sox on
Thursday night.
Cruz hit a solo drive in the first, a two-run shot in the third and
another two-run homer in the fifth. It’s the first career
three-homer game for the six-time All-Star, who has 385 home runs
in his career.
Twins slugger Nelson Cruz has six home runs in the last four games.
Cruz batted again with a runner on first in the sixth and struck
out swinging against Jimmy Cordero, ending the inning. He flied out
to right leading off the ninth.
Max Kepler also went deep against All-Star Lucas Giolito, helping
the Twins build a 10-3 lead.
Cruz’s outburst followed three-homer games by New York Mets second
baseman Robinson Cano on Tuesday night and St. Louis Cardinals
shortstop Paul DeJong on Wednesday. According to the Elias Sports
Bureau, it’s the first time in major league history there’s been a
three-homer game on three consecutive days.
The 39-year-old Cruz, who signed a $14.3 million, one-year contract
with Minnesota in January, has six homers in his last four games
and 25 overall this season. According to STATS, he is the oldest
player in major league history to hit six-plus homers in a
four-game span, surpassing Barry Bonds, who hit seven in four games
at age 36 in 2001.
Cruz also became the 10th player in big league history with a
three-homer game after turning 39, according to Baseball
Prospectus, joining a list that includes Babe Ruth, Stan Musial,
Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Frank Thomas and Alex Rodriguez.