What is the record for most ledgers in a day?

One of my favorite aspects of the v30 Club is how it highlights changing eras across baseball. Starting in the Expansion era and moving towards the balanced schedule years, we can see how the record for most ledgers hit in a single day illustrates this changing landscape. Before we jump to the date in question, let’s see the progression of records, starting with the first day featuring ten ledgers.

Friday, June 11, 1954 – Nothing about this particular Friday in June sticks out as a reason it would be the first time the sixteen MLB teams would combine for ten ledgers. There were nine games on the schedule that day with a doubleheader in Philadelphia, but that was a non-factor since there were no ledgers in the second game. The highlight ledger was Ralph Kiner’s against the Athletics which was his second career home run and second ledger. Four players also hit the first home runs of their careers.

Sunday, May 28, 1961 – The first MLB expansion in 1961 added two teams to the American League which offered just a bit more room for ledgers on a given day. The new record of eleven ledgers was set on this particular Sunday with the newest teams in Los Angeles and Washington playing host to five of the ledgers. Harmon Killebrew hit his ninth ledger against the new Senators in a return to D.C. Wes Covington of the White Sox also hit his ninth.

Sunday, April 29, 1962 – The second MLB expansion came a year later with two teams added to the National League. This Sunday was quite unusual because fans saw the ten games that could now be scheduled across a 20-team league, plus seven match-ups were doubleheaders. So setting the new record of fourteen ledgers in a game was surely because of this extremely stuffed schedule, right? Not the case. No double-header featured ledgers hit in both games.

The ledger-getters were not big name boppers. The name that stands out is the repeat appearance of Wes Covington, who had contributed to the record of eleven from a year ago.

Friday, May 30, 1969 – A new record of fifteen ledgers was set in the next expansion year where four teams were added to the league. Like days before, not only was there a full compliment of games, but four doubleheaders. This time, we can attribute one of the ledgers to a double-header. The Yankees’ Bobby Murcer hit his fifth ledger in game one while Joe Pepitone hit his tenth in game two in a twin bill in Kansas City against the expansion Royals.

Norm Cash, who had been a ledgerer on the record-setting day in 1962 day also hit one in Seattle against the expansion Pilots.

Sunday, April 24, 1977 – Another expansion, another record. This time sixteen ledgers were hit on a day that featured double-headers, but not a full schedule of thirteen games because the Pirates-Mets game was postponed. The double-header in Oakland proved to be the tipping point as two ledgers were hit in game one (Dick Allen and Chet Lemon) and two in game two (Mitchell Page and Wayne Gross). The games in Oakland were a bit more interesting because they were against an non-expansion team – the White Sox.

Friday, June 13, 1997 – The 1993 expansion that brought in the Marlins and Rockies did not move the needle on the record. However, the start of Interleague play certainly did. On what was scheduled to be the first ever full day of Interleague games (it wasn’t because the Cardinals-Indians game was rained out) a whopping 25 ledgers were hit. And whereas the biggest sluggers had shied away from other record-setting days, they clearly were champing at the bit to face-off against never before seen opponents.

The 25 ledgers included dingers from Albert Belle (against Reds), Jeff Bagwell (Twins), Paul Molitor (Astros), Mo Vaughn (Mets), Edgar Martinez (Rockies), Juan Gonzalez (Giants), and Barry Bonds (Rangers). But it was Jeff King that ended the day with the highest career ledger count – he hit his twentieth against his former team, the Pirates.

Monday, June 30, 1997 – The record ticked up by one a couple weeks later when all teams saw another fresh interleague opponent. Marquee players with a ledger included Cal Ripken (Phillies), Larry Walker (Angels), Andres Galarraga (Angels), Jim Edmonds (Rockies), Brian Giles (Astros), Mike Piazza (Rangers), Tony Gwynn (A’s), Alex Rodriguez (Giants), Vladimir Guerrero (Blue Jays), and Carlos Delgado (Expos).

The next record will fall on the eponymous date of this article. Before we get arrive on the date, let’s have a small refresher on Interleague Play. Between 1997 and 2001 Interleague games were almost exclusively between aligned divisions, meaning NL East played AL East, NL West played NL East, and NL Central played AL Central. So for five seasons, aforementioned players like Barry Bonds and Cal Ripken could only add five home runs to their ledgers (assuming they stayed with the same team).

In 2002, MLB began divisional rotation while preserving the geographic rivalry game. Now players had opportunities at least every three years. This brings us to…

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

All the match-ups for the evening would be the first time1 the teams would be meeting in the regular season and all the games were held in American League parks, meaning all teams were playing with a designated hitter. When there were full Interleague slates at American League stadiums in 2002, there were two days where 25 ledgers were hit, so conditions seemed more than favorable. Let’s make our way from east to west and tally up the ledgers. Each home run hitting player will have a notation indicating overall ledger count for the day.

Cardinals at Red Sox

The two teams last met in the 1967 World Series. The Cardinals’ J.D. Drew (1) started the home run parade in the fifth inning with a three-run blast. Albert Pujols (2) added a two-run shot in the seventh. Both Pujols and Drew would go on to join the v30 Club. Fellow inductee Manny Ramirez added a non-ledger home run in the bottom of the seventh and Jason Varitek (3) hit one in the bottom of the eighth.

Astros at Yankees

The two teams had never played each other, but would certainly go on to have a contentious relationship. Jorge Posada (4) would continue the scoring with a solo home run for the Yankees in the fifth inning. Craig Biggio (5) would take fellow future Hall of Famer Mike Mussina deep in the sixth. Morgan Ensberg (6) added another tally in the eighth.

Pirates at Blue Jays

The first-ever meeting between these teams would be a slug fest. Aramis Ramírez (7) opened the scoring in the top of the first with a two-run shot. The Jays’ Josh Phelps (8) answered right back in the bottom of the inning. Carlos Delgago (9) tied the game again with a blast in the bottom of the second. In the bottom of the third, Josh Phelps hit his second of the game and that was immediately followed by a Orlando Hudson (10) bomb. Frank Catalanotto (11) would provide the games’ fifth ledger in the bottom of the fifth. Matt Stairs and Brian Giles would homer in a non-legder variety later in the game as well.

Cubs at Orioles

The Orioles were shut out in the first-ever meeting between the clubs. Alex Gonzalez hit a non-ledger home run for the Cubs.

Reds at Devil Rays

In the first-ever match-up between the teams Austin Kearns (12) and Aaron Boone (13) went back-to-back to open the scoring for the Reds. Jose Guillen (14) added a non-ledger in the top of the sixth and he was on his way to a v30 Club induction later in his career.

Padres at Indians

Another first-time assembly was a high scoring affair, but with only one home run. Brian Buchanan was the hitter and it wasn’t a ledger.

Dodgers at Tigers

Despite 100+ years of being in the Major Leagues together, the teams had never played each other. This game lasted twleve innings but featured no scoring via home runs.

Giants at White Sox

The last match-up between the teams was way back in the 1917 World Series. Barry Bonds (15) hit the first home run of the day, a mammoth 475 foot shot which at the time was the fourth longest at new Comiskey Park according to the Sox. The White Sox got three runs back in the seventh when Miguel Olivio (16) and D’Angelo Jimenez (17) had back-to-back fence clearers.

Rockies at Twins

This was the first-ever match-up between these two teams and also the debut of future v30 Club member Justin Morneau. Preston Wilson (18) had the only ledger, a first inning, three-run shot in the top of the first. Charles Johnson and Greg Vaughn added non-ledgers against Brad Radke.

Diamondbacks at Royals

This was the first time these teams met and the game featured a single home run – a non-ledger by the D’Backs’ Luis Gonzalez in the top of the third.

Mets at Rangers

In yet another first-time match-up the two teams combined for five ledgers. Michael Young (19) of the Rangers led off the parade in the bottom of the third. Jason Phillips (20) answered with a solo shot in the top of the fourth. Hank Blalock (21) added another for the Rangers in the bottom of the fourth, then Mark Teixeira (22) put up another dinger in the bottom of the fifth2. Rafael Palmiero hit a non-ledger homer in the seventh and the Mets’ Vance Wilson (23) concluded the scoring in the eighth. This was also the debut game for Jose Reyes.

Expos at Mariners

These teams had never faced off. Orlando Cabrera (24) of the Expos smashed one in the third inning and Endy Chávez (25) added to the Expos lead with one in the ninth.

Phillies at Angels

In the evening’s lowest score game, the Angels defeated the Phillies in a game with no home runs.

Braves at Athletics

Greg Maddux and Tim Hudson were on the hill for the first match-up of the Braves (then in Boston) and the Athletics (then in Philadelphia) since the 1914 World Series. Eric Chavez (26) got to Maddux first with a solo shot in the bottom of the second. The home runs went dry until the top of the ninth when Robert Fick (27) tied the game at three. Jermaine Dye (28) wrapped up the historic day with a walk-off in the bottom of the twelfth inning.

There you have it. Twenty-eight ledgers in a single day – a record that stands to this day. But another record was lurking just around the corner.

June 11, 2003

While a very healthy twenty ledger home runs were hit the next day our story will continue and focus only on Oakland. On this particular evening, Rafael Furcal led off the game with a home run to left. It was a ledger and made a very interesting back-to-back pairing with Dye’s walk-off last night.

Javy López continued the scoring later that inning with a three run shot, which was a ledger. In the top of the third the Braves poured it on with solo home runs by Marcus Giles and Andruw Jones. Both were ledgers. The A’s scratched back with a solo shot by Frank Menechino and it was a ledger too. Vinny Castilla countered with a ledger of his own in the top of the fourth. Ramón Hernández hit the final home run of the evening to make it seven ledgers in the game. This too was a record that has not been bested, only to be equaled by a game between the Athletics and Rays on April 7, 20233.

This was only the fourth time a single team had hit five ledgers in a game matching efforts by the White Sox against the Pilots on April 13, 1969, the Red Sox against the Blue Jays on Independence Day in 1977, and the Angels squaring off against the Nationals on June 3, 20034. No single team has hit more than five ledgers in a game although several have tied the mark, including the Rays in the aforementioned seven-ledger game.

Will these records ever be broken? I honestly think it will be tough in our current configuration of thirty teams in a balanced schedule. Perhaps the next expansion, like those before it, will open that door. But until then, we just keep counting the ledgers.

WATCH: Clips of ESPN SportsCenter from June 10, 2003.