On July 12, 2015, Kirk Nieuwenhuis became the first Met to hit three home runs in a home game.
The 2015 season was a magical ride for the Mets. From the near trade of Wilmer Flores, to the acquisition of Yoenis Cespedes, to the late-season march to the World Series, the 2015 campaign provided a little bit of everything (and most of it was good).
When the Mets took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the last game before the All-Star break, an unlikely player made his mark in Mets history.
Outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis had been a role player since joining the Mets after being the team’s third-round draft pick in 2008. Nieuwenhuis was a multi-sport talent, and had a combination of power and overall athleticism that seemed to predict good things for his career.
Over parts of six major league seasons, Nieuwenhuis – who never quite lived up to expectations – posted an overall WAR of 2.9, with 31 home runs, a .221 BA, and an OPS of .695.
July 12, 2015, however, belonged to him.
He came up in the bottom of the second inning, and hit an opposite field home run off Arizona’s Rubby De La Rosa. In his second at-bat in the bottom of the third, Nieuwenhuis hit a two-run shot to left-center, giving the Mets a 3-1 lead.
Then, all eyes were fixed on him to see if he could be the first Met to go yard three times in a home game. He accomplished the feat off Randall Delgado in the bottom of the fifth. You can see Nieuwenhuis’s three home runs in the video below.
The Mets won the game 5-3.
Nieuwenhuis joined a list of other Mets who had hit three dingers in a game, all of which were in road games:
Jim Hickman, 1965
Dave Kingman, 1976
Claudell Washington, 1980
Darryl Strawberry, 1985
Gary Carter, 1985
Edgardo Alfonzo, 1999
Jose Reyes, 2006
Carlos Beltran, 2011
Ike Davis, 2012
Later in 2015, Lucas Duda hit three home runs in a game at Citi Field. In August of the same year, Yoenis Cespedes achieved this milestone at Coors Field. Cespedes had another three home run game at Citizens Bank Park in 2017. Most recently, Robinson Cano swatted three home runs in a game against the Padres at Citi in 2019.
The Mets will enter the abbreviated 2020 season with a lineup that will feature significant power. Players like J.D. Davis, Pete Alonso, and Michael Conforto have the potential to join this three home run club as well.
