On his historic night, Eugenio Suárez had a flashback.
Suárez had preceded Scooter Gennett in the Cincinnati lineup when Gennett hit four homers and drove in 10 runs in a 13-1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on June 6, 2017.
While on the precipice of four-homer history Saturday, Suárez remembered.
“At some point in the dugout, that came into my mind,” Suárez said. “That was awesome to see. I always thought that it had to feel really good to hit four home runs in a game.
“Today that dream came true.”
Arizona Diamondbacks’ third baseman Suárez became the 19th player in major league history to hit four homers in the same game when he did it Saturday against Atlanta.
Suárez rose to the drama of the moment when his fourth leading off the ninth inning tied the game at 7-7, but the Diamondbacks were unable to complete the comeback in an 8-7, 10-inning loss to the Braves.
“I never thought that was going to happen,” Suárez said, “but today was a perfect day.”
Suárez led the NL with 10 homers entering games of Sunday, passing teammate Corbin Carroll (nine) for the league lead.
Suárez is the second player to hit four homers in a game since Gennett, and he is the first since former Arizona outfielder J.D. Martinez did it against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Dodger Stadium on Sept. 4, 2017.
Arizona manager Torey Lovullo witnessed both, becoming the first manager to preside over two four-dinger games.
He joked that the did not see this one coming when Suárez went to the plate for the fourth time Saturday.
“I thought there is no way he is going to go deep,” Lovullo said. “When does that happen? It’s like a fairy tale. When it happened, I was shaking my head. I couldn’t believe it.”
Suarez hit a high fastball on a 3-2 pitch from Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias 383 feet into the left field seats to tie the game. He also homered in the second, fourth and sixth innings.
Distance was not an issue. His first two homers, in the second and fourth innings to left-center field, measured 418 and 411 feet. His bases-empty shot for a 6-2 lead in the sixth inning went an estimated 443 feet to straightaway center.
“It is one of those magical nights,” Lovullo said. “It’s what we all dream about as kids. Not a lot of people have done. It’s pretty remarkable. It was all in crunch time and he locked in at the right time,
“So, no, I was not thinking he was going to hit a fourth home run. I was kind of hoping he would.”
Suárez returned to the form that he showed early in the season, and during the second half of 2024, when he had 24 homers in 73 games from July 7. He had five homers in the first five games, including a two-homer game against the Cubs in the second game.
Lovullo said a chat with Suárez during the Miami series April 15-17 reassured him, even as Suarez entered in a 3-for-37 skid with no RBIs.
“I asked him where he was, if he was checking all of his boxes,” Lovullo said. “The high intensity training that he started to do last year, he’s still doing. He’s in the weight room four or five times a week. The ground ball work has been very consistent. He confirmed it all with me.
“I felt he is going to have a day that is going to turn around the little bit of the lull he was in. It was just a matter of time.”
Suárez singled and lined out to the pitcher Thursday, and he walked twice and doubled Friday, an indicator.
“I always think walking is a great remedy for somebody that’s struggling,” Lovullo said, “because I believe in seeing the ball your way out of things. You have to be able to see what is happening, and understand how you are getting attacked, and he started to log onto that.”
Suárez is working on a one-year, $15 million contract after the D-Backs picked up their option for 2025, and they will have another decision to make this offseason when free agency beckons. That is a discussion for another time.
“The game is like this,” Suárez said.
“You never know what is going to happen. I never lost my faith. Each day is a new opportunity for me to be better, and today was that. I’ve always been the guy who believes in what can happen in the game.”
