King for a day … or two

Jeff King (Associated Press photo)

For more than 100 years, Jake Stenzel holds the distinction of being the only Pittsburgh Pirate to homer twice in the same inning of a game, accomplishing the feat in 1894 during the third inning in a 27-11 rout of the Beaneaters in Boston.

Then along comes Jeff King, the Pirates’ third baseman who 29 years ago today homers twice in the second inning of a 9-5 victory before a Tuesday afternoon crowd of 9,596 at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.

King does it again eight months later in the fourth inning of a 10-7 victory at Cincinnati.

Reggie Sanders also homers twice in the fifth inning for the 2003 Pirates in a 14-0 shutout at St. Louis.

Stenzel, seen here in an 1890 lithograph and often misidentified as Jack rather than Jake, finishes his nine-year career in 1899 with 32 homers – four of them coming off future Hall of Famers Kid Nichols and Cy Young.

King hits 154 homers over his 11 seasons in the majors with the Pirates and Kansas City Royals. Four of his homers come off four future Hall of Famers – John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Mike Mussina and Pedro Martinez.