Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Jake Cain
The video above, put together on YouTube by BaseballQuotes1 makes a pretty compelling case that Shawn Green was responsible for the best offensive game in baseball history.
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On May 23, 2002, Shawn Green etched his name into the annals of baseball history with an offensive performance so staggering that it defies belief, even to this day. While Green, a consistently solid outfielder throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, might not be the first name to spring to mind when thinking of early aughts baseball, this particular game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park transformed him into a legend.
Coming off a season where he hit a career-high 49 homers and finished 6th in the NL MVP race, expectations were high for Green in 2002. Yet, by mid-May, he was shouldering the weight of a sluggish start, batting a mere .230 and grappling with the pressure of replicating his previous season’s success. But the three-game series in Milwaukee that started on May 21 would prove to be the turning point Green desperately needed.
In the series’ first two games, Green showed signs of heating up with two home runs and a triple. Then came the finale. By the end of that day, Green had either tied or shattered nearly a half-dozen major league records, compiling what some might argue to be the greatest single offensive game in the sport’s history.
The day’s barrage began in the top of the first inning against Glendon Rusch, against whom Green had struggled in the past. Igniting the charge, he doubled down the first-base line, driving in a run. By the top of the second, the Dodgers led 6-0, thanks in part to Green’s three-run blast into the right-field bullpen.
As the innings progressed, so did Green’s prowess. A solo shot in the fourth was followed by an opposite-field homer in the fifth—a remarkable display of power for a left-handed hitter at Miller Park. By the eighth, he’d added a single to his tally. Yet, it was the top of the ninth that would cement Green’s place in the Major League Baseball record books. With the aid of his teammates, including a pivotal home run by a young Adrián Beltré, Green stepped up with another chance to swing for the stars.
The 1-1 pitch from José Cabrera was all it took. Green’s fourth home run of the game not only tied the Major League record but also broke the record for total bases in a single game with 19. His six hits and six runs scored matched other rare feats in baseball history. By any measure, this was an extraordinary exhibition of hitting prowess.
Green would go on to have a formidable 2002 season, finishing with a .304 batting average, 37 homers, and a 1.024 OPS. His performance on that day in Milwaukee was the catalyst he needed, proving that his prior success was far from a fluke.
While Green’s later years saw him traded first to Arizona and then to the New York Mets before retiring after the 2007 season, the echoes of that game have never faded. His batting game score of 97—calculated by ESPN to reflect a hitter’s single-game performance—is the highest total batting game score since its inception, surpassing even other four-home run games.
Shawn Green’s historic game is a testament to baseball’s inherent unpredictability and the potential for greatness that exists every time a batter steps to the plate. It’s a reminder that history is just one pitch away, and for one May day in 2002, Shawn Green swung his way into eternity.