Sam Horn

Samuel Lee Horn

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 5", Weight 250 lb.
• High School Samuel F. B. Morse High School
• Debut July 25, 1987
• Final Game September 20, 1995
• Born November 2, 1963 in Dallas, TX USA

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Biographical Information

Sam Horn was signed as a 1st round pick in the 1982 amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox and scout Ray Boone.

In 1987, Horn set the major league record with 14 home runs in 46 games, the most home runs by a player who played in less than 50 games. His first Major League hit was even a home run - it ended up being a game winner. Red Sox fans were drooling about his power potential, but he turned out to be a dud. In 1988, he hit .148 with 2 homers in 24 games, and in 1989, he hit for the same average, but with no homers, in 33 games and was let go after that season. Another issue was that he had no defensive position: he did not play his first game in the field for Boston until his third season, when he was used for a total of 4 innings at first base in two games. He made 10 appearances at the position for the Baltimore Orioles in 1990, but that was it for him wearing a glove as a major leaguer - otherwise, he was strictly a designated hitter, which considerably lowered his value in spite of his tremendous power.

Horn won a few home run titles in his career. He led the International League (AAA) in 1993 (38 homers), the Mexican League in 1996 (30) and the Taiwan Major League in 1997 (31 home runs, the TML all-time record). Horn tied the overall Taiwan home run mark, set a year prior by Luis Iglesias. Jay Kirkpatrick would belt 31 in the 1998 CPBL. In 2007, Tilson Brito set the new Taiwan home run record.

He hit 313 homers in his pro career and slugged .468 in the majors, .498 in the non-Mexican minors and .569 in Mexico.

He later became a broadcaster for the Red Sox post-game show on NESN.

Horn is also sometimes remembered as the origin of the term horn, referring to the act of striking out six times in a single game, a feat he accomplished on July 17, 1991 in a 15-inning game against the Kansas City Royals, while with the Orioles. (It has occurred five other times to date but Mike Flanagan on that date when asked about it said "Well, three strikeouts is a hat trick. Four is a sombrero. Five is a golden sombrero and, from now on, six will be known as 'A Horn.'" The "feat" is also sometimes referred to as a Titanium Sombrero.)

Notable Achievements

• 20-Home Run Seasons: 1 (1991)

Related Sites

• Sam Horn at the SABR Bio Project