May 24, 1936. A Sunday afternoon at Shibe Park in Philadelphia, roughly 8,000 paying customers, and an Athletics team already headed for the cellar. Tony Lazzeri -- batting eighth for the New York Yankees -- hit two grand slams, a solo homer, and a two-run triple. He drove in 11 runs in a 25-2 win. Nobody in American League history has driven in more in a single game, before or since.
The Buildup
Lazzeri was 32, in his 11th season as the club's second baseman, and he'd spent most of that decade hitting behind somebody more famous. First it was Ruth and Gehrig. Now there was a rookie named Joe DiMaggio, three weeks into his big-league career and already the story of the 1936 season.
Nobody was writing about the man batting eighth. That changed over one weekend in Philadelphia.
On Saturday the Yankees swept a doubleheader from the A's, 12-6 and 15-1. Lazzeri homered once in the opener and twice in the nightcap. Philadelphia had already shipped Jimmie Foxx to Boston over the winter, and the A's would finish the year 53-100, dead last. Connie Mack's pitchers were about to have a very long Sunday.
The Moment
It started in the second inning. Bases loaded, George Turbeville on the mound, and Lazzeri homered. Four RBI.
In the fifth, the bases filled up again (the A's walked 16 Yankees that afternoon, so this wasn't exactly a rare sight). Herman Fink was pitching now. Lazzeri drove this one over the center-field fence. Eight RBI -- and the first time any major leaguer had ever hit two grand slams in the same game.
He wasn't done. In the seventh, against Woody Upchurch, he homered again. Nobody on base this time, which by the day's standards counted as a letdown. Nine RBI, tying the American League record Foxx had set in 1933.
Then came the eighth. Runners aboard again, and Lazzeri hit one that just missed leaving the park. He settled for a two-run triple and the record all to himself.
Tony Lazzeri hammered his way to baseball fame today with an exhibition of batting unparalleled in American League history as he set the pace in the Yankees' crushing 25-2 victory over the Athletics at Shibe Park.
His line: five at-bats, four runs, four hits, three home runs, a triple, 11 RBI, and 15 total bases. From the eighth spot in the order.
He had company. DiMaggio collected three hits, including a homer, and drove in three. Frankie Crosetti hit two out of the park. The Yankees piled up 19 hits to go with those 16 walks. Monte Pearson gave up both Philadelphia runs in the first inning and then didn't allow another over the last eight innings. (It's easier to settle in when your offense keeps scoring touchdowns.)
| Final Score | Yankees 25, Athletics 2 |
| Lazzeri's Line | 5 AB, 4 R, 4 H, 3 HR, 1 3B, 11 RBI |
| Total Bases | 15 |
| Grand Slams | 2 (2nd inning, 5th inning) |
| Yankees Hits / Walks | 19 / 16 |
| Previous AL RBI Record | 9 (Jimmie Foxx, 1933) |
| MLB RBI Record | 12 (Jim Bottomley, 1924; Mark Whiten, 1993) |
The Aftermath
Three games, six home runs. Four games, seven. Both were major league records when Lazzeri set them, and both eventually fell -- Ralph Kiner hit eight in four games in 1947, and Shawn Green hit seven in three in 2002.
The 11 RBI never fell. Ninety years later, it's still the American League record and still the Yankees record. The 25 runs are still the most the franchise has ever scored in a game.
The closest call came in 2005, when Alex Rodriguez hit three homers off Bartolo Colon and drove in 10 against the Angels (it's where the story of A-Rod's 2005 MVP season starts). One short. Sixty-nine years after Lazzeri, and still one short.
Lazzeri went on to drive in 109 runs that year, part of the five 100-RBI bats that carried the club to 102 wins. In October he'd hit another grand slam -- only the second in World Series history -- in Game 2 against the Giants.
Key Moments
Foxx Sets the Mark
Jimmie Foxx drives in nine runs for the Athletics, setting the American League single-game record Lazzeri would break at Foxx's old home park.
The Warm-Up
The Yankees sweep a doubleheader from the Athletics, 12-6 and 15-1. Lazzeri homers once in the opener and twice in the nightcap.
Two Slams, 11 RBI
Lazzeri hits grand slams in the second and fifth, a solo homer in the seventh, and a two-run triple in the eighth. The Yankees win 25-2.
An October Slam
Lazzeri hits the second grand slam in World Series history in an 18-4 Game 2 win over the Giants.
A-Rod Comes Up One Short
Alex Rodriguez drives in 10 against the Angels, the most by a Yankee since Lazzeri's 11.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many RBIs did Tony Lazzeri have in one game?
Eleven. On May 24, 1936, at Shibe Park, Lazzeri hit two grand slams, a solo home run, and a two-run triple in the Yankees' 25-2 win over the Philadelphia Athletics. It's still the American League single-game record and the Yankees franchise record.
Who was the first player to hit two grand slams in one game?
Tony Lazzeri, on May 24, 1936. He hit the first off George Turbeville in the second inning and the second off Herman Fink in the fifth. Only 13 players have done it, and the most recent was Josh Willingham in 2009.
What is the most RBIs in a single MLB game?
The major league record is 12, shared by Jim Bottomley (1924) and Mark Whiten (1993). Lazzeri's 11 in 1936 is the American League record, one short of the overall mark.
What's the most runs the Yankees have ever scored in a game?
Twenty-five, in the 25-2 win over the Athletics on May 24, 1936 -- Lazzeri's 11-RBI game. The Yankees had 19 hits and drew 16 walks that day.
Ninety years on, the American League record book still has a second baseman's name at the top of that page. He hit eighth that day.