Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander, left, playing for the Toledo Mud Hens in a rehab start, talks to catcher Miguel Gonzalez, right, and first baseman Mike Hessman, center, in the sixth inning during a Triple-A game against the Columbus Clippers in Toledo, Ohio.
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It marked the 433rd career home run for the 37-year-old Hessman, who had been in a tie with Buzz Arlett, who played in the minors from 1918 to 1937. He hit nine home runs in 78 at-bats. “I’ve had a lot of support from the organization and my teammates, and being able to do it at home, I was glad I was able to do it for the fans”.
In a profession where the legends play under the bright lights, Hessman has defied the odds to become a legend of minor league baseball.
Hessman would go on to hit two home runs in 2013, and then only 12 more in his brief major league career.
A scout here in the Vegas press box just said “he got me in ’05”. “It is up there on the prime with them”, Hessman stated.
Hessman was selected by Atlanta in the 15th round of the 1996 draft. Despite hitting. 165 in 2006, he still hit 24 home runs for Toledo as they won their second straight Governor’s Cup.
Toledo manager Larry Parrish was among the Hessman hailers Monday. His Toledo record earned him the nickname “King Hessman”, which has stuck ever since.
But after that, he embarked on a stretch of 17 years in which he did not hit fewer than 16 home runs. In 2011, he would sign a contract to play with the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese Pacific League where he hit six home runs in 33 games.
By the time Hessman made it back to the big leagues, he was almost 30 and had moved to the Tigers.
Hessman, 37, broke a record that had stood for 79 years. He accumulated his 433 home runs across parts of 19 minor league seasons.
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“I didn’t set out to break the record this year, but I said if I could stay healthy, there would be an opportunity to get to that number”, Hessman said to mlb.com.
