Any home run hit by a pitcher is a rare accomplishment. We see maybe a handful or so each season, and oftentimes it looks like complete luck. What happened on Saturday with Cole Hamels and Matt Cain was rarer than rare. Both the Giants and Phillies starting pitchers hit home runs — in the same inning.
The last time two pitchers hit homers off each other in the same inning was in 1990 when Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers and Kevin Gross of the Expos did it. You’ll hardly ever see two starting pitchers hit home runs in the same game in general, let alone off on another in the same frame. Maybe the National League can hold off on the designated hitter after all.
