Moustakas enjoyed a special birthday
By JERRY TAPP
Mike Moustakas was the hero in the Brewers’ 7-5 win over the Miami Marlins on September 11. He hit a pair of two-run home runs in the contest. What made it all the more celebratory for “Moose” was that the two long balls came on his 31st birthday.
Moustakas became the 43rd player in MLB history to hit two or more home runs in a game on his birthday. He was the second player to do so this season; the Dodgers’ Joc Pederson hit a pair of home runs on his 27th birthday, April 21, versus the Brewers. Moustakas also became the second Brewers player to hit two or more HRs in a game on his birthday… Jose Hernandez did it for the Brew Crew on July 14, 2002 against the Pirates on his birthday.
Three of the 43 players in this group have hit two or more homers in a game on their birthday twice in their careers: Duke Snider, Justin Morneau and Kirk Gibson each hit a pair of home runs on their birthdays in two different seasons.
Nomar Garciaparra holds the MLB record for most home runs in a game on a birthday with three. He did that on July 23, 2002 as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Garciaparra had three home runs and eight RBI in Game Two of a doubleheader against Tampa Bay on his 29th birthday.
Back to Moustakas… previous to his two HRs on his birthday this season, he had not had much success on his birthdays in previous years. Prior to the 2019 season, Moustakas was 3-for-17 (.176 batting average) with no home runs on his birthday.
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