Dale Long Homers in His Eighth Consecutive Game

On May 28, 1956, Dale Long of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit a home run in his eighth consecutive game, setting a major league record that would stand for 31 years. Long connected off Brooklyn Dodgers reliever Ben Flowers in the eighth inning at Forbes Field, launching a 2-2 pitch over the high right-field wall. The Pirates won 3-2.

The streak had begun on May 19 against the Cubs and ran through doubleheaders, road trips, and a parade of increasingly nervous opposing pitchers. Long hit eight home runs in ten days, starting with a solo shot off Jim Davis and building momentum through matchups with the Braves, Phillies, and Cardinals before the Dodgers arrived in Pittsburgh. By the time Long stepped to the plate on May 28, Forbes Field was electric with anticipation. Every at-bat drew standing ovations.

Long was 30 years old and had spent years bouncing between the minor leagues and brief major league stints. He had kicked around the Pirates, Browns, and Cubs organizations without establishing himself. The 1956 season was his first as an everyday player, and the home run streak turned him into a national sensation overnight. Newspapers tracked his at-bats the way they would later track Roger Maris. Sports Illustrated put him on the cover.

The streak ended the next day when Dodgers pitchers held Long homerless. Long finished 1956 with 27 home runs and 91 RBIs, career highs that earned him his only All-Star selection. He played eight more seasons in the majors without approaching those numbers again.

Don Mattingly tied the record in 1987, hitting home runs in eight consecutive games for the Yankees. Ken Griffey Jr. matched it again in 1993. Long's record, set during a ten-day explosion at Forbes Field by a journeyman having the season of his life, has never been broken.