Sarasota High grad makes history with four-homer game

Cincinnati Reds infielder Scooter Gennett had one hit in his previous 20 at-bats entering Tuesday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Then the little-known 27-year-old, a Sarasota High graduate who was released by the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training, had perhaps the greatest single-game performance in major-league history:

The Cincinnati native went 5-for-5 with four homers – he’s only the 17th player in big-league history to go deep four times in a game – and 10 RBIs in a 13-1 win.

Not surprisingly, Twitter lost its mind:

“I was kind of laughing, to be honest with you,” Gennett told reporters after the game. “For a guy like me to do that is crazy — a little short of a miracle.”

Making the performance even more surreal: No major-leaguer had ever gotten five hits, four homers and 10 RBIs in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

That is, until Tuesday, as the 5-foot-10, 185-pounder joined the Cardinals’ Mark Whiten as the only players with a grand slam among four homers in a game, according to Elias.

“It’s amazing, especially since he’s not an everyday player for us,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “He’s got power, but four homers in one game? I don’t know what to tell you.

“It’s very emotional. It was an honor to witness that.”

This story was originally published June 7, 2017 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Sarasota High grad makes history with four-homer game."