That was what the Cincinnati utility player did Tuesday night when he got home after setting one Reds single-game franchise record by hitting four home runs and tying another by driving in 10 runs in their 13-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I just went home with my wife, and my best friend’s in town, so we just went back and I got to take the dog outside,” Gennett, who became the 17th player in major-league history to hit four home runs in one game, said before Wednesday’s game. “I don’t think he knew what I did. He was all excited to see me like he always is. I just wanted to get to bed.”
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Despite receiving what he said were 270 text messages, Gennett actually got what he described as a “good” eight hours of sleep before reporting back to Great American Ball Park to learn that manager Bryan Price had him playing second base and batting seventh for Wednesday’s third game of a four-game series.
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“I certainly have to say that, based on recent performances, I’ve found a way to get him in there,” Price said with a smile, adding jokingly, “I really wanted to have a lineup where he was leading off, batting fourth and batting seventh.
“It’s really special. I talk about (Mike) Cameron hitting four a few times a year. Now, I have another story to tell.”
Price was Seattle’s pitching coach when the former Reds outfielder hit four home runs for the Mariners against the White Sox in Chicago in 2002.
Gennett became the first National League player to do it since Dodgers right fielder Shawn Green against Milwaukee on May 23, 2002. Former Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton was the last player to accomplish the feat, for Texas against Baltimore on May 8, 2012. He is the sixth player to hit home runs in four consecutive at-bats.
The only other Reds player to drive in 10 runs in one game is catcher Walker Cooper on July 6, 1949, against the Cubs. Gennett’s 17 total bases also rank as a single-game club record.
Price inserted Gennett into Tuesday’s lineup after deciding that right fielder Scott Schebler needed another day to overcome the shoulder injury he suffered making a diving catch Saturday.
“He wasn’t in the original starting lineup,” Price admitted. “I’d like to say it was great matchup managing, but … It’s funny. When I went to talk to (plate umpire) Dave Rackley to make some changes (in the seventh inning), he asked me, ‘Who are you taking out? Gennett?’ ”
Gennett’s historic four-homer game – the first of his life at any level, he said – prompted an outburst of interview requests. One that stood out for the Lebanon native was hearing from national radio talk-show host and University of Dayton product Dan Patrick.
Gennett will be able to keep the jersey, cap, batting gloves and the ball he lined into the right-field seats for his fourth home run, which was graciously returned by 12-year-old Fairfield resident Zach Thompson.
“I think it’s awesome that he wanted to give it back to me,” Gennett said. “I gave him my wristband that I wore during the game and signed a different ball for him. I think we’re going to be doing some different stuff for him too. It was really cool.”
Gennett’s parents might’ve been more emotional than he was about his night.
“I talked to them (Tuesday) night,” he said. “They were really happy. I’m sure they were both crying. My dad’s (Joe) a pretty strong guy. To hear him kind of choke up was a little different. I told him there’s no crying in baseball. It was special, for sure.
“To be honest, I felt kind of normal, just like a normal game. I’ve learned in a few years of playing you can’t get too high, can’t get too low, especially after a game like that. It’s important to stay level-headed and humble and understand there’s going to be more failures than successes. I think I’m just wired to deal with it that way. It was kind of surprising, though. I never thought I’d hit four home runs in a game and to do it and feel normal afterwards is pretty crazy.”
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