Chicago Cubs right-hander Matt Swarmer against the New York Yankees on Saturday tied a major-league record by allowing six solo home runs in a single game. Swarmer tied the mark set by Hollis Thurston of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932. Swarmer also became the first Cubs pitcher to allow six homers in a game since Tom Lee in 1884. The Yankees won the game by a score of 8-0.
The 28-year-old rookie right-hander entered his start in the Bronx with a 1.50 ERA after two starts. Now, though, that figure stands at 4.24, and he has allowed nine home runs in 17 innings. In Saturday’s loss, Swarmer allowed an estimated 2,388 feet of home run, or a bit less than half a mile.
Doing most of the damage was Aaron Judge, who homered twice and increased his MLB-leading total to 24 for the season. That put Judge in elite franchise company:
At this writing, Judge, the runaway early favorite for AL MVP honors (and a pending free agent), is slashing .313/.388/.691.
The most highlight-worthy clout belonged to Giancarlo Stanton, whose fourth-inning laser shot left the bat at a remarkable 120 mph. That makes it the hardest-hit ball of the 2022 season thus far. Here’s a look:
Also homering were Gleyber Torres, Jose Trevino and Anthony Rizzo, who homered for the first time against his former club:
Perhaps lost in the onslaught was a gem twirled by New York lefty Jordan Montgomery, who worked seven shutout innings with five strikeouts and no walks. In doing so, he lowered his 2022 ERA down to 2.70.
The Yankees now stand at an MLB-best 43-16 on the year. That puts them on pace for 118 wins, which would be an all-time record.
