July 8, 1987. Yankee Stadium. Don Mattingly stepped into the box against the Minnesota Twins and launched two home runs. Nothing unusual there -- Mattingly had been crushing baseballs all season. What nobody knew was that he'd just started something that would consume the baseball world for the next eleven days. Eight consecutive games with a home run. Ten total homers in those eight games. A 31-year-old record tied. And when it was over, Mattingly had given the 1987 Yankees -- and baseball itself -- one of the most thrilling individual performances in the sport's history.
Game by Game
The streak had a rhythm to it. Mattingly didn't hit cheapies or wall-scrapers -- he drove the ball with the full-bodied swing of a player at the peak of his powers. On July 8, he went deep twice against the Twins. July 9, another homer. July 10, again. Each game felt like it was building toward something, though nobody initially recognized the historical significance. Home run streaks aren't tracked in real time the way batting streaks are -- fans don't circle the calendar and count the games until the streak reaches the five- or six-game mark.
By game five, the media noticed. By game six, the story went national. By game seven, Mattingly was appointment television. (There was something almost unfair about it -- opposing pitchers couldn't pitch around him without putting the go-ahead run on base, and they couldn't challenge him without risking another ball launched into the seats.)
The streak stretched across the All-Star break. Mattingly homered in his last game before the break and his first game after, maintaining the momentum through what should've been a natural pause. On July 18, at Arlington Stadium in Texas, he connected again -- his eighth consecutive game with a home run, tying Dale Long's record from 1956.
Dale Long's Ghost
Dale Long had set the record on May 28, 1956, as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was one of those records that seemed like it should've been broken long ago -- eight games isn't that many, and plenty of great power hitters had come along in the three decades since Long set the mark. But the streaking didn't cooperate. Reggie Jackson couldn't do it. Mike Schmidt couldn't do it. George Brett, Jim Rice, Eddie Murray -- none of them could string together eight straight games with a homer.
Mattingly tied it, not broke it. On July 19, Rangers starter Jose Guzman kept Mattingly in the park, ending the streak at eight. The record remained shared -- first Long, then Mattingly, and eventually Ken Griffey Jr. would match it in 1993. But during those eleven days in July 1987, Mattingly owned baseball's attention in a way that few individual achievements ever have.
The Grand Slam Connection
Two of the ten home runs Mattingly hit during the streak were grand slams -- part of his season total of six grand slams that set a single-season record. The grand slams during the streak added another layer of absurdity to an already absurd run. Mattingly wasn't just hitting home runs in every game -- he was sometimes hitting them with the bases loaded, as if the difficulty level of the situation only made him better.
The overlap between the home run streak and the grand slam record meant that July 1987 became the defining month of Mattingly's career. Everything he did with a bat during that stretch bordered on mythology. The Yankees' team record didn't match the individual fireworks -- they went 5-3 during the eight-game streak -- but for eleven days, the Bronx was the center of the baseball universe.
What Made It Possible
Mattingly's swing in 1987 was engineered for consistent hard contact. His compact stroke, quick hands, and ability to adjust mid-at-bat made him dangerous on any pitch type. He could turn on inside fastballs and pull them over the right-field wall. He could extend on outside pitches and drive them to left-center. The home run streak wasn't a product of sitting on one pitch or getting lucky with hanger after hanger -- it was a product of a hitter who could damage any pitch in any location.
His approach during the streak reflected supreme confidence. Mattingly wasn't overswinging or hunting for home runs. He was simply hitting the ball as hard as he always did, and the results happened to leave the ballpark. (That's the difference between a power surge and a hot streak: Mattingly's mechanics didn't change. The ball just kept going.)
The Morning After
The streak's end on July 19 brought a mixture of disappointment and appreciation. Mattingly had tied the record but couldn't break it, and the near-miss added a bittersweet quality to the achievement. He handled it with characteristic understatement, shrugging off the missed opportunity and refocusing on the team's season.
The team, unfortunately, couldn't match Mattingly's intensity. The 1987 Yankees finished 89-73, fourth in a loaded AL East. The home run streak became the most memorable moment of a season that ended in frustration, a burst of individual brilliance that illuminated the gap between one great player and a great team.
| Streak Duration | 8 consecutive games (July 8-18) |
| Home Runs During Streak | 10 |
| Grand Slams During Streak | 2 |
| Record Tied | Dale Long, 8 games (1956) |
| Streak Ended By | Jose Guzman, Texas Rangers (July 19) |
| 1987 Final Line | .327, 30 HR, 115 RBI |
Games 1: Two Homers vs. Twins
Mattingly launches two home runs against Minnesota at Yankee Stadium, unknowingly beginning a historic streak.
Games 2-5: The Streak Builds
Four more games, four more home runs. The baseball world begins to notice as Mattingly homers in every game before the All-Star break.
Games 6-7: Post-All-Star Surge
Mattingly picks up right where he left off after the break, homering in both games and pushing the streak to seven.
Game 8: The Record Tied
At Arlington Stadium, Mattingly homers in his eighth straight game, tying Dale Long's 1956 record. He's hit 10 homers during the streak.
Game 9: Streak Ends
Rangers starter Jose Guzman keeps Mattingly in the park. The streak ends at eight games -- tied with Long, one short of the outright record.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Don Mattingly's home run streak take place?
Mattingly homered in eight consecutive games from July 8 through July 18, 1987. The streak spanned the All-Star break and included 10 total home runs. It ended on July 19 when Texas Rangers pitcher Jose Guzman kept him in the park.
Whose record did Mattingly tie with his home run streak?
Mattingly tied Dale Long's major-league record of homering in eight consecutive games, originally set in 1956 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ken Griffey Jr. later matched the record in 1993. No player has broken it.
How many home runs did Mattingly hit during the streak?
Mattingly hit 10 home runs in eight games -- the most ever during an eight-game homer streak. Two of those home runs were grand slams, contributing to his season total of six grand slams (also a record).