Josh Bell has hit 200 home runs since reaching the majors in 2016, 198 of which came in the regular season and two more coming in October. Which one is the most memorable? I asked the Minnesota Twins first baseman/DH that question before a recent game at Fenway Park.
“The first one [on July 9, 2016] probably my favorite,” answered Bell, who spent his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was my second day in the big leagues, and I got a hit the day before, hitting a little bit, so I was hitting 1.000. Bases loaded, Adam Warren [on the mound]Cubs-Pirates rivalry game at PNC on Saturday night. The place was packed. The ball leaves my bat and I know it’s gone. My parents were there, too – I gave them the ball – so that was special. It is something I will never forget.”
The first home run, be it a grand slam or a solo shot, will be a favorite for many players. But there will be others who stand out as well, and in Bell’s case, several of them are Statcast providers. We’ll get to those soon.
Two of his most memorable outbursts involved teammates. The first came on June 11, 2022 with the Washington Nationals, and the second was on August 14, 2023 with the Miami Marlins.
“I have a couple that were back-to-back-to-back owners,” Bell recalled. “One was with the Nats – [Juan] Soto, [Nelson] Cruz, me – and one was with the Marlins: [Jorge] Soler, [Luis] Arraez, me. I was third both times. Those stay cool, because the pressure is on. Two in a row is easy, but three in a row is special.”
I asked a successful slugger (Bell played for seven different teams) why a hitter feels pressure in such situations.
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“I mean, it’s like… Then the guy behind you feels more pressure, because four in a row, in the big division, it’s just not possible,” he replied.
MLB history includes 11 instances of a team hitting four consecutive home runs. It was last performed on July 2, 2022, when Nolan Arenado, Nolan Gorman, Juan Yepez and Dylan Carlson released the song in St. Louis Cardinals.
Bell’s next memorial is from October 7, 2022.
“My first in the postseason, against [Max] Scherzer, he’s one I’ll never forget,’ said Bell, then with the San Diego Padres. “It was my first at-bat of the season. That was in the Wild Card, against the Mets. Winning that series was huge.
“I’ve always had a good look at Scherzer, so I felt comfortable” continued Bell, who is 6-for-14 with a home run, five walks and a HBP in 20 regular-season plate appearances against the two-time Cy Young Award winner. “I remember the score was 3-0, and he threw a fastball on the black, far away, which I caught, even though I had a green light.
“I was also grinding with the Padres,” he continued to say. “It’s a complete grind. But when you get to the postseason, you can be a new player. I turned it on in that postseason [9-for-30 with two home runs] and we got very far – we even ran into the Phillies [in the NLCS].”
Then there were the outliers.
“I had the highest home run in major league history last year,” Bell explained, referring to the June 23, 2025 pitch that was 4.65 feet off the ground. “It was against the Padres lefty – I forget who he was [Yuki Matsui] – and Statcast registered it as the highest home game in history. It was far from the strike area. I was running around the bases like, ‘I’m in a dark place when I get that ball out. I need to hit fastballs down the middle, and not swing there.’ But it was still cool.”
“I also had the hardest hit ball by a homer in major league history,” Bell continued, citing the 102.9 mph sinker he launched into the stands on Aug. 2, 2024. “That had to be [Aroldis] Chapman. I had that record for about a month, and then Ian Happ led me to the front. His was from Mason Miller [on a 103.2-mph fastball]. But yeah, those two are pretty memorable. Kind of outliers, I guess. “
