Perfect Pair: Cecil and Prince hit 319 HRs

If you like baseball fun facts, your favorite family might be the Fielders. They are Cecil and Prince, who will make their debut on the 2022 Hall of Fame ballot. The two accomplished something that seems impossible: they hit exactly the same number of home runs.

And no, the number is not zero, not one or two. The two hit exactly 319 homers. What are the odds of that?

The two went their separate ways toward 319. Cecil was selected in the amateur draft by the Orioles in the 31st round of the 1981 event, but did not sign. The following year, he was taken in the supplemental phase by the Royals in the second round. The Royals traded him to the Blue Jays in February 1983 and in July 1985 he made his debut with them. He hit 31 home runs in 220 games between 1985 and 1988, and never played more than 82 games in a year. In 1989, he went to Japan to play for the Hanshin Tigers, where he hit 38 homers in 106 games.

He returned to the majors in 1990 and hit 51 homers (personal best) with the Tigers, with whom he had signed in the offseason. He hit at least 28 homers in each of the seasons between 1990 and 1996. With 13 in 1997 and 17 in 1998, he finished with 319 overall.

Prince’s career is overshadowed by the “what if …” after injuries forced him to take a portrait in 2016. The Brewers selected him in the amateur draft in 2002 and made his debut with them in 2005. He hit 50 homers in 2007 and 283 between 2006 and 2013; fourth most in that period, only behind the Dominican Albert Pujols (291), the Venezuelan Miguel Cabrera (287) and Ryan Howard (287).

Up to that point, he had never been on the disabled list. But in 2014, he suffered a neck injury that led to surgery that set him apart for the rest of the year. He returned in 2015 and spliced ​​23 more home runs, being called up to the All-Star Game. However, in 2016 the neck injury reappeared, he entered the disabled list and there he ended his career, when he was 32 years old. Along the way, Fielder signed as a free agent with his father’s Tigers prior to 2012, before being traded to the Rangers prior to 2014.

Other connections and similarities

We already know they both finished with 319 career home runs, but that’s not the only thing they had in common. Cecil debuted at the age of 21 in 1985. In 2005, Prince did so at the same age.

Plus, he’s the only father-son pair to hit 50 or more home runs in a major league season. They had also been the only ones with 40 cannon shots, until the Dominican Vladimir Guerrero Jr. joined his father on that list in 2021. But the Fielders club will be difficult to match for a long time, considering that Guerrero father never gave more than 44 in a year.

Let’s dig a little deeper into those home runs. Cecil threw it to 199 total pitchers, while Prince threw it to 245. Venn’s diagram of the combination of two mounts points to two in common: Tom Gordon and Jamie Moyer. Cecil homered Gordon three times and Prince one. Cecil threw it to Moyer once and Prince gave him two.

In terms of stadiums, Cecil homered in 23 parks, while Fielder did so in 32. It is important to remember that Cecil’s career occurred mostly when there were no interleague games – and he was always in the American League, with the Tigers. , Blue Jays, Angels and Yankees. There were only four parks in which both took her out, considering that various teams, including the Tigers, built new enclosures. They both dumped it at Dodger Stadium, Fenway Park, Camden Yards and the Metrodome.

We will leave you with these last links. Yes, they finished with the same number of home runs, but they also had the same number in several particular situations. For example, they each hit exactly four home runs in turns with runners on second and third. They hit exactly 49 homers in the fourth inning, 29 in the fifth and 18 in the ninth. With two outs? 97 each. Which means that they also share the same amount with less than two outs (222).

Sure, these similarities are more likely because each hit exactly 319 home runs. But anyway the links continue to attract attention. All this, because baseball is the best.