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Before I regale you with my strange tale (and explain the selection of the photo at the left), let me set the stage a bit. Some may recall a B-R Blog post last year on the unusual circumstance of 4 players having 2500 or more hits appearing in the same game. In the game-searchable era, this has happened involving only two different sets of players.

The table below shows the active leaders in career Hits at the end of the 1926 season, and the only guys above or near the 2500 mark.

As a postscript to that 1927 season, Wheat retired after his one season in Philadelphia, and was replaced in the As outfield by … Tris Speaker. So, for that one season of 1928, the top 3 active leaders in career hits were all on the same team, something I strongly suspect has not happened since (the Indians had the top two in 1995).

Fast forward a mere 83 years and, thanks to the miracle of inter-league play, it happened again. Rather more guys on the list of possibilities – which four do you think it was who made it into the same game ?

In fact, it was Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez for the Yankees and Manny Ramirez and Garret Anderson for the Dodgers. Happened twice – June 26^th and 27^th at Dodger Stadium.

That reprise is by way of introduction to what I’m calling a strange tale of 2000 hits. If there could be a 4×2500 game, how many guys could make it into a game at the 2000 hit level? I think I’ve found the answer, and I think it is a unique occurrence. But, it only happened as a result of a whole bunch of things falling into place. So, here’s my strange tale.

There were a lots of guys at or near the 2000 hit level as the 1985 season began. Take a look.

The 1985 Reds began the season with Pete Rose and Tony Perez past the 2000 hit mark and Dave Concepcion and Cesar Cedeno getting close. Cedeno reached 2000 on April 28th against San Francisco and Concepcion joined the club 13 days later against Houston. Meanwhile, in Texas, Buddy Bell also reached 2000 hits on Apr 26th against Toronto. When Bell joined the Reds on July 19th, the Reds now had 5 players in uniform at the 2000 hit mark. But, could all of them get in the same game against an opponent with other 2000 hit club members?

As it happened, Cedeno would be traded to the Cardinals on Aug 29th, so the window of opportunity narrowed. In fact, from the time of Bell’s arrival to Cedeno’s departure, all 5 of the 2000 hit players appeared together in just one game. That was on August 15^th against the Padres with Steve Garvey and Graig Nettles. Garvey was well past 2000 hits, and Nettles had reached that mark earlier in the year, in a 4-hit game against Steve Rogers and the Expos on May 19th.  But, that’s not the end of the story. Some unusual happenings were required to get all 7 players into that Aug 15th game.

Rose, Bell and Concepcion for the Reds and Garvey and Nettles for the Padres were starters in the finale of a 4 game set, in front of just under 20,000 at Jack Murphy Stadium. The Reds got off to a quick 2-0 lead on a 1^st inning Dave Parker homer off of Eric Show, but Show and Reds starter Andy McGaffigan duelled each other after that through scoreless frames until the Reds chased Show with 2 more runs in the 8^th  on a run-scoring triple and following steal of home by Eddie Milner. It was the bottom of the ninth, Cedeno and Perez were still on the bench, and the Reds looked to be home and dry with a 4-0 lead. Or, maybe not.

McGaffigan, bidding for his first career shutout, started the 9^th but allowed a walk and a single to Gary Templeton and Tony Gwynn. Exit McGaffigan. Closer Ted Power came in for the save, but promptly threw a wild one moving both runners up. Templeton scored on a Steve Garvey sac fly, but Power then retired catcher Terry Kennedy and the Padres were down to their final out. But that was a close as Power would come. Doubles by Graig Nettles and Carmelo Martinez, and a single by Kevin McReynolds tied the game, and a following walk to Tim Flannery ended Power’s outing. John Franco came on to induce a Jerry Royster groundout to finally put out the fire.

So, on we go to the 10^th inning. Ron Oester led off with a single and was sacrificed to second. Manager Pete Rose brought in Cedeno to pinch-hit for 8^th inning hero Eddie Milner. Cedeno could only manage a bouncer to 1^st base that moved up Oester. With 2 outs, Rose came up next and was intentionally walked (you can hear the alarm bells, can’t you?) to bring up Max Venable. Manager Rose went again to his bench and Tony Perez delivered a pinch-hit RBI single for the go-ahead run. As in the 9^th, Templeton and Gwynn led off the home 10^th and again both reached base. Templeton would get to 3^rd  but no further as Joe Price struck out Terry Kennedy to seal the Reds victory.

So, now you know the rest of the story. Seven guys with 2000 hits in the same game.

Since then, six 2000 hits players have made it into one game, on these occasions (and possibly others). I’ll let those interested figure out who those players were.

• 1986 Reds vs Padres (Sep 26, Oct 4)
• 2004 Yankees vs Orioles (Jul 30, Sep 3, 5, 10, 11, 12)
• 2004 Yankees vs Indians (Aug 24)
• 2005 Yankees vs Orioles ( Apr 9, 16, 17)
• 2006 Dodgers vs Giants (Sep 29)

Postscript #1:  the 1986 Reds again had Rose, Perez, Bell and Concepcion active. Dave Parker joined the 2000 hit club on Sep 7 against Greg Maddux and the Cubs (Parker was scorching hot, going 8 for 11 in that series). Alas, Rose had played his last game 3 weeks before, so there would not be a repeat of the 1985 feat.

Postcript #2:  How many times has a guy in his age 44 season or older been walked intentionally?

I’ll give Julio his props, but isn’t that about 12 times too many for the other guys?