Nieuwenhuis Becomes 1st Mets Player to Hit 3 Home Runs at Home

New York Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis came out of nowhere to have a shockingly productive game in Sunday's 5-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, becoming the first player in franchise history to hit three home runs in a home game, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Coming off back-to-back three-homer seasons, Nieuwenhuis entered Sunday's game with a .106 batting average through 66 at-bats, still searching for his first long ball of the year.

He opened Sunday's scoring in his first at-bat, with a solo home run that just barely made it over the left field fence off Diamondbacks pitcher Rubby De La Rosa in the second inning. The homer was reviewed and confirmed, giving Nieuwenhuis his first round-tripper since Sept. 3 of last season.

He then left no doubt in his second at-bat of Sunday's game, crushing a two-run homer to left-center field off De La Rosa to give the Mets a 4-1 lead in the third inning.

Nieuwenhuis finished his barrage in the fifth inning when he hit a solo home run down the right field line off Diamondbacks pitcher Randall Delgado, extending New York's lead to 5-2.

After a bit of celebration with his teammates, Nieuwenhuis made his way to the top step of the dugout, where he gave a curtain call to the still-raucous Mets crowd.

The 27-year-old outfielder did get one shot to make it a four-homer game, but Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Chafin sat him down on strikes to start the seventh inning. Undeterred, the Mets crowd gave Nieuwenhuis another ovation, still amazed by his trio of home runs in his first three at-bats of the game.

It was the 10th three-homer performance in Mets history and the first since Ike Davis accomplished the feat at Chase Field (against the same Diamondbacks team) in July 2012, per ESPN Stats & Info.

As much as he enjoyed the afternoon, Nieuwenhuis is presumably still focused on gaining some job security, as he was traded from the Mets to the Los Angeles Angels for a small cash sum in late May, shortly after being designated for assignment.

He was again designated for assignment just a couple of weeks later, and the Mets decided to swoop back in to reclaim him. Following a three-week stint with Triple-A Las Vegas, New York called Nieuwenhuis up July 6, but he only got six at-bats in his first five games before Sunday.

Even with the phenomenal showing in the final game before the All-Star break, Nieuwenhuis will likely spend the season's second half just hoping to stay on the roster.