August 24, 1999: Rob Ducey had five hits in an MLB game

August 24, 2024

By Kevin Glew

Cooperstowners in Canada

On this date 25 years ago, Rob Ducey was inserted into the Philadelphia Phillies’ lineup when their regular centre fielder Doug Glanville had a sore left knee.

To say Ducey (Cambridge, Ont.) made the best of the opportunity would be an understatement.

Batting leadoff and playing centre field against the San Diego Padres at Veterans Stadium, the 34-year-old Canadian had a career-best five hits – a double and four singles – scored four runs, stole a base and knocked in two runs to lead the Phillies to a 18-2 win.

“I got some good pitches to hit,” a modest Ducey told The Philadelphia Inquirer after the game. “Everyone played well. It was just a good game, offensively, defensively and pitching.”

Ducey singled to centre field in the first and second innings and belted a two-run double in the third. He added another single to centre in the sixth and a single to right in the seventh.

He narrowly missed a home run in his sixth at bat when he flied out to the wall in left-centre in the eighth. After that out, the 18,126 fans in attendance gave him a nice ovation as he ran back to the dugout.

“Whenever you don’t have Doug Glanville, it’s a big void,” Phillies manager Terry Francona told The Philadephia Inquirer. “But Ducey filled it OK.”

Rico Brogna also had four hits for the Phillies that game, while Bobby Abreu (two home runs) and Ron Gant had three hits each.

It was the only five-hit game of Ducey’s 13-season major league career. He also had three four-hit games.

Interestingly, Ducey’s five-hit performance came exactly six years after Kevin Reimer (Enderby, B.C.) had six hits in a game for the Milwaukee Brewers. Reimer is the only Canadian to record six hits in a major league game since 1900.

That five-hit outburst was part of Ducey’s outstanding 1999 season with the Phillies. He finished that campaign with eight home runs and a .383 on-base percentage and an .846 OPS in 104 games.