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Atlanta Braves great Bob Horner, who once hit four home runs in a single game, has died, the team announced Tuesday. He was 68.
Horner was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1978 and made his first and only All-Star team in 1982. The Braves released a statement about Horner’s death on social media. The team has not released a cause of death.
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Atlanta Braves infielder Bob Horner is shown at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, in a file photo. (Manny Rubio/USA TODAY Sports)
“Bob Horner made a career out of being the first. He was the first overall pick in the 1978 draft after an illustrious collegiate career. He was the first Braves draftee to skip the minor leagues entirely and debut straight in the majors. And he was the first Atlanta player to ever hit four home runs in a single game,” he said in the Montreal 9 Expos, when he did it in 18 Expos.
“The National League Rookie of the Year in 1978 and an NL All-Star in 1982, Horner teamed with Dale Murphy to form one of the most feared power duos in the game for nearly a decade.
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Bob Horner of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during a Major League Baseball game at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa., circa 1983. Horner played for the Braves from 1978 to 1986. (Focus on Sports/Getty Images)
“The Atlanta Braves extend their sincere sympathies to his wife, Chris, two sons, Tyler and Trent, and his many friends and fans across the game.”
Horner played nine of his 10 years in the big leagues with the Braves, spending his final year in the majors with the St. Louis Cardinals.
He played in 1,020 games, hit 218 home runs and never struck out more than 75 times in a single season.
Atlanta selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1978 MLB Draft out of Arizona State after a stellar career with the Sun Devils. He was later inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class.
Atlanta Braves captain and third baseman Bob Horner celebrates with teammate Chris Chambliss after beating the Cincinnati Reds on April 23, 1982 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. (Joe Sebo/AP)
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He was the 1977 College World Series MVP and won the first Golden Spikes Award as the top player in college baseball in 1978.
