Golden sombrero


In baseball, a golden sombrero is a player's inglorious feat of striking out four times in a single game.

Origin of the term

The term derives from hat trick, and since four is bigger than three, the rationale was that a four-strikeout performance should be referred to by a bigger hat, such as a sombrero. The term was coined by San Diego Padres player Carmelo Martínez in the 1980s and first appeared in print when Leon Durham was quoted as using it in 1984.
The "Olympic Rings" or platinum sombrero applies to a player striking out five times in a game.
A horn refers to a player striking out six times in a game; the term was coined by pitcher Mike Flanagan after teammate Sam Horn of the Baltimore Orioles accomplished the feat in an extra-inning game in 1991. Alternate names for this accomplishment are titanium sombrero or double platinum sombrero.

Major League Baseball

Notable four-strikeout games

On August 4, 2009, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria went 2-for-6, recording a golden sombrero and 2 home runs. The second home run was a walk off home run. This feat was also accomplished by Brandon Moss of the Oakland Athletics on April 30, 2013 in a 19-inning game against the Los Angeles Angels.
On May 29, 2015, San Diego Padres catcher Derek Norris struck out swinging in his first four plate appearances, then hit a walk-off grand slam, becoming the first MLB player in the modern era to achieve a golden sombrero and a walk-off grand slam in the same game.
On July 30, 2016, New York Yankees player Alex Rodriguez became the first MLB player to earn a golden sombrero after the age of 40 while having earned one before the age of 20.
On October 11, 2017, Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant went 0-for-4, recording a golden sombrero, on the same day as New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, who went 0-for-5 and recorded his own golden sombrero, his third in the ALDS and making him the only player since 1903 to accomplish this. Prior to the start of the 2017 World Series, golden sombreros in the 2017 postseason had already tied the record set in 1997. An increase in the use of starting pitchers as relievers has been suggested as a cause.

Major league players with the most four-strikeout games

Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Denotes player who is still active

PlayerGamesMajor teams
27Philadelphia Phillies
23Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, California Angels
22Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles
20Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox
19Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds
19Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox
17Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers
17Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers
16Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics
16Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals
15Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox
15Montreal Expos, Colorado Rockies
15New York Mets, San Francisco Giants

Source:

Notable five-strikeout games

and Ray Lankford are the only players to hit for a platinum sombrero more than twice.
On June 4, 2018, Aaron Judge earned a platinum sombrero, but more importantly struck out eight times, over course of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers, setting a new MLB record.
On May 26, 2019, Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story recorded a platinum sombrero in a nine-inning game against the Baltimore Orioles. The next day, May 27, Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez also recorded a platinum sombrero against the Houston Astros, his second.
On June 18, 2019, Boston Red Sox designated hitter J. D. Martinez recorded a platinum sombrero in a seventeen-inning game against the Minnesota Twins, going 0-for-8 in the game, along with Miguel Sano, also recording a platinum sombrero, going 0-for-7.

Major league players with six strikeouts in a game

Only eight players have had six strikeouts, as listed in the following table. All eight players who accomplished a "Horn" needed extra innings to do it; the record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game is five.
PlayerDateInningsTeamBox score
15St. Louis Browns
17Chicago Cubs
17California Angels
20California Angels
15Boston Red Sox
15Baltimore Orioles
13Toronto Blue Jays
17Milwaukee Brewers

Minor League Baseball

The professional baseball record for strikeouts in a single game belongs to Khalil Lee, who as a member of the minor league Lexington Legends, Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, struck out eight times in a 21-inning game in 2017.