Twins Outfielder Jason Tyner Hits First Home Run in His Seven-Year Major League Career

Twins outfielder Jason Tyner hit a home run on July 28th. Not only was it his first home run of the season, but it was the first home run of his seven-year Major League career. Jason Tyner went 1,318 plate appearances before hitting his first home run, which came in the third inning versus Indians starter Jake Westbrook.

Bill Holbert's record is safe. The Major League leader for most plate appearances without a home run, Holbert went 2,396 times to the plate without hitting a homer. Primarily a catcher, Holbert played from 1876-1888 in the National League and the American Association, which was considered the equivalent of a major league.

If you prefer to exclude 19th Century players, the all-time leader for most plate appearances without a homer is Tom Oliver. A catcher for the Red Sox from 1930-1933, Oliver went 2,072 plate appearances without leaving the yard.

Since World War II, the player with the most plate appearances without hitting a homer is Tim Johnson. A utility infielder for the Brewers and Blue Jays from 1973-1979, Johnson went to bat 1,408 times without a homer in the Majors. If that name sounds familiar, Johnson later went on to become a manager with the Blue Jays in 1998. Johnson did a solid job, going 88-74 in his only year at the helm. But he lost his job when it turned out that the motivational stories he told his players about his time in Vietnam turned out to be a lie. Johnson never saw combat in the war.

Jason Tyner has his own motivational stories to tell. A former first-round draft pick, Jason Tyner has carved himself a nice career as a backup outfielder. The Twins are his fifth organization and he's battled more for his job in the Majors than most first-round selections.

Even when the Mets selected him, one of the stories surrounding Jason Tyner was how he had gone his entire collegiate career at Texas A&M without hitting a homer. Jason Tyner continued that streak in his professional career.

He did not hit his first homer in the Minors until 2004, a span of over 2,000 plate appearances. In his Minor League career, Jason Tyner has just two home runs in 3,059 at-bats. In his professional career, he now has three homers in 4,737 plate appearances.

Jason Tyner can now set his sights on Duane Kuiper, the player with the most plate appearances in the Majors and only one home run. Kuiper, a second baseman with the Indians and Giants from 1974-1985, amassed 3,754 plate appearances and just one home run in his career in the Majors. As anyone who ever listened to a Cubs game broadcast on WGN knows, Kuiper hit his only homer off former Cubs announcer Steve Stone in 1977. It was one of four homers allowed by Stone that day, and perhaps not even the strangest one. He also gave up an inside-the-park homer to Andre Thornton, a player not known for his speed.

It would have been fitting if Jason Tyner's home run did not leave the yard, but instead it cleared the right-field wall and landed in the Twins bullpen. It was a great day for Jason Tyner, because it got the monkey off his back but at the same time, he lost the distinction that separated him from his peers and gave him an identity to baseball fans around the country. Angels outfielder Reggie Willits now is the position player with the most plate appearances without a home run with 400. Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling leads all active players with 901 plate appearances without a homer.

Perhaps Jason Tyner won't become lost to history. There's always the chance that Jake Westbrook will become an announcer one day and he can talk about being the only Major League pitcher to allow a homer to Jason Tyner.