Steven Fantasia | Little League World Record Holder — Three Pitches, Three Home Runs
THREE PITCHES The Steven Fantasia Story
JULY 14, 1990
Special Report

Three Pitches.Three Home Runs.

Steven Fantasia — Little League World Record Holder

On July 14, 1990, Steven Fantasia stepped to the plate three times, swung at three first pitches and hit all three over the fence in Pepperell, Massachusetts.

The Astros lost 6-5. That detail has complicated the historical record ever since.

By The Three Pitches Archive PEPPERELL, MASS.
Steven Fantasia interviewed as a child after setting the Little League World Record for three home runs in one game
JULY 1990 | PEPPERELL, MASS. Steven Fantasia, shortly after the game that would define the rest of his baseball biography.
Source: contemporary television interview footage, July 1990
3
Pitches
3
Home Runs
5
RBI
6–5
Final

PEPPERELL, Mass. — Chris Dinsmore was three pitches away from having a very different place in this story.

Against the Astros lineup on July 14, 1990, the Yankees pitcher was nearly untouchable. He struck out nine. Every Astros batter other than one went hitless.

The exception was Steven Fantasia, who would go on to become recognized as a Little League World Record holder for what happened next.

Fantasia came to the plate three times. He swung at the first pitch three times. He hit three home runs.

All three Astros hits belonged to him. All five Astros runs came from his bat.

Dinsmore still won the game.

Yankees 6. Astros 5.

Three pitches. Three home runs. Five RBI.

The Box Score
July 14, 1990 — Pepperell Little League

YANKEES 6

ASTROS 5

Team123456RHE
Yankees102102681
Astros202010532
Yankees6
Astros5
W: Chris Dinsmore
Astros Hits: 3
Fantasia Hits: 3
The First Pitch
Bottom 1st

Pitch 1

Astros 2, Yankees 1

Two-run home run. Fantasia stepped in for his first plate appearance and swung at Dinsmore's first offering. The ball cleared the fence.

The Second Pitch
Bottom 3rd

Pitch 2

Astros 4, Yankees 3

Two-run home run. Two innings later, Fantasia faced Dinsmore again. Again, the first pitch was put in play. Again, it did not remain in the park.

The Third Pitch
Bottom 5th

Pitch 3

Astros 5, Yankees 4

Solo home run. Dinsmore delivered. Fantasia swung. Three pitches had now produced three home runs.

3 for 3

On 3 Pitches

There was no fourth at-bat.
The Other Story

Chris Dinsmore Was Dominating Everybody Else.

Dinsmore vs. Fantasia

  • 3 pitches
  • 3 hits
  • 3 home runs
  • 5 RBI

Dinsmore vs. Everyone Else

  • Entire game
  • 0 hits
  • 0 home runs
  • 0 RBI

Dinsmore struck out nine and allowed only three hits. All three came from the same batter. He also got the win.

Winning Pitcher: Chris Dinsmore

History can be selective. That is enough.
Local EditionJuly 16, 1990
Local newspaper printing of the scorecard from Steven Fantasia's Little League World Record three-home-run game

Fantasia's Three Homers Not Enough

The hometown paper's printing of the scorecard from the July 14, 1990 game. The Yankees won. The headline took a different approach.
Source: Pepperell hometown newspaper, July 16, 1990
Box Score Sidebar

Astros Fall Despite Fantasia's Three Homers

Local Reaction

"I've Never Seen Anything Like It," Says Coach

Notebook

Dinsmore's Nine Strikeouts Go Largely Unmentioned

The Story Goes National

New York Times front page reporting on Steven Fantasia's Little League World Record three-home-run performance

Boy Hits 3 Homers on 3 Pitches

Ten days after the game, the story had traveled far beyond Pepperell. The final score was still Yankees 6, Astros 5. That was becoming less important.

Source: The New York Times, July 24, 1990
Cover Story

Small Town Kid. Big Time Bat.

ESPN Magazine cover featuring Steven Fantasia, the Little League World Record holder for home runs in a single game
Source: ESPN Magazine, July 1990

What had been an unusual local baseball story had become a national sports curiosity.

The image was simple. A young player. A bat. A Little League uniform. And a statistic that required almost no explanation.

By the Numbers

TeamPepperell Astros
At-Bats3
Pitches Seen3
Home Runs3
Final ScoreL, 6–5
The Game Ended.

The Story Didn't.

Bronze Little League Hall of Fame plaque commemorating Steven Fantasia's world record of three home runs on three pitches
Bronze Age

Eventually, They Put It On a Plaque.

The plaque did not attempt to explain what happened. It simply recorded it: a Little League World Record for most home runs in a single game.

Three Pitches. Three Home Runs. Five RBI.

Yankees 6, Astros 5
Little League Hall of Fame Induction

Decades Later, the Game Found Its Way Back to Little League.

Steven Fantasia at the Little League Hall of Fame induction ceremony recognizing his three-home-run world record
Steven Fantasia at his Little League Hall of Fame induction.
Steven Fantasia, Little League World Record holder, presented with his plaque on the field during Hall of Fame induction
On-field presentation during Hall of Fame recognition.
Time Since Game30+ Years
Home Run TotalStill 3
3
Most Home Runs Hit by a Little League Player in a Single Game
Steven Fantasia presented with his Guinness World Record plaque for most home runs in a single Little League game
Source: Guinness World Records recognition ceremony
Record Holder
Steven Fantasia
Date
July 14, 1990
Opposing Pitcher
Chris Dinsmore
Final Score
Yankees 6, Astros 5
Coast to Coast

From Pepperell to the Hollywood Walk of Fame

More than three decades after three swings on a Little League field, the story had traveled approximately 3,000 miles.

Steven Fantasia at his Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony, honoring the Little League World Record holder for three home runs
Steven Fantasia presenting his plaque at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, Little League World Record holder
Steven Fantasia beside his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Little League World Record holder for most home runs in a single game
Pepperell to Hollywood
~2,987 Miles
Home Plate to Left Field Fence
Approx. 200 Feet

How Three Pitches Became a Little League World Record

1990
Three Home Runs
1990
Local Coverage
1990
National Coverage
Later
Hall of Fame
Later
World Record
Later
Hollywood
Today
Amherst, NH

The Tape, the Clippings, the Receipts

Steven Fantasia, Little League World Record holder, pictured here with original Pepperell trading card

Decades later, the score remains exactly where it was when the final out was recorded.

Yankees 6. Astros 5.

Chris Dinsmore remains the winning pitcher. Steven Fantasia remains the only Astro who got a hit — and the Little League World Record holder for three home runs on three pitches.

Fantasia lives today in Amherst, New Hampshire, not far from the Massachusetts field where the record was set.

History has spent the intervening years doing the rest of the work.

3
Pitches
3
Home Runs
5
RBI
1
Loss

Three Pitches

An editorial retrospective on Steven Fantasia, the Little League World Record holder, and the events of July 14, 1990, in Pepperell, Massachusetts.

Sources

  • Pepperell hometown newspaper
  • The New York Times
  • ESPN Magazine
  • Little League Hall of Fame
  • Guinness World Records
  • Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
  • Fantasia family collection

Contact

Archive: [email protected]
Press: [email protected]
Corrections: [email protected]

3 Pitches3 Home Runs5 RBI1 Loss
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Historical dates, locations and figures on this page reflect the site's own archival account and are presented for editorial purposes.