A career game in one inning

The Phillies’ Von Hayes becomes the first major leaguer to hit two home runs in the first inning of a game during Philadelphia’s 26-7 rout of the New York Mets 41 years ago today at Veterans Stadium.

Hayes starts the bottom of the first with a solo homer off Mets starter Tom Gorman and caps the Phillies’ nine-run inning with a grand slam against reliever Calvin Schiraldi.

Hayes finishes the game 3-for-6 with six runs batted in, while Juan Samuel and Rick Schu combine for nine of the Phillies’ 27 hits before a Tuesday night crowd of 22,591 at the Vet.

Coming into the game, Hayes finds himself in a terrible slump with just one hit in his previous 25 at-bats and 10 in his last 80 overall.

The skid drops his batting average from .356 on May 16 to the not-nearly-as-shiny .281 before facing the Mets on this night in 1985.

“I’ve been struggling,” Hayes says after the game, “but when I came to the park and saw the lineup, with me leading off, I was kind of embarrassed. I’d never led off for the Phillies.

“Two days ago, when I was taken out of the lineup, I was hitting cleanup. But tonight, I thought I might as well make the most of it.”

And that starts with his Alpha and Omega swings in the first inning – the first giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead, the last pushing that lead from 5-0 to 9-0.

“After those two home runs, I was afraid it would put me in another slump,” Hayes says. “I’m not really a home-run hitter and I have to keep myself from swinging for the fences.”

The prophetic Hayes has a good point as he follows his single in the second inning off Schiraldi with another dreadful slump with only three more hits – all singles – in his next 33 at-bats.

That slide drops Hayes’ batting average from .288 to .264 in a 1985 season that finishes with him batting .263 in 152 games with 13 home runs and 70 runs batted in.

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