SAVANNAH - Tony Mongelluzzo's coaches on the minor-league Savannah Sand Gnats say he is the hardest-working player in the organization. And the work is paying off in historic proportions. <br>
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On a recent road trip, Mongelluzzo hit five home runs in five consecutive trips to the plate, including four straight in one game. No one in major league baseball has ever accomplished either feat. <br>
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The power surge began April 19, when Mongelluzzo homered in the 12th inning of a 6-5 loss to the Asheville (North Carolina) Tourists. <br>
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The following day, in his first four trips to the plate against the Tourists, Mongelluzzo drilled home runs to left field, left-center, center and right. <br>
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Sand Gnats bench coach Joe Ayrault says, ``I came up through the minor leagues with guys like Chipper Jones. To do it at this level, I've never seen a player have a better game than the one Tony had up there.'' <br>
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In the major leagues, at least, no one has. <br>
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Five major leaguers have homered in four consecutive plate appearances, most recently Larry Herndon of the Detroit Tigers in 1982, according to Elias Sports Bureau. But all five did it over at least two games. <br>
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And no big leaguer has matched Mongelluzzo's five in a row. <br>
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There is no certain way to know whether either feat has ever been accomplished in the minors. Elias says it does not have minor-league records, and SportsTicker, which keeps official statistics for minor league baseball, said its records were incomplete.
