Cincinnati Reds (1965–67) In 1965, when he was 23 years old, Shamsky made the
Cincinnati Reds out of
spring training as a sub, and hit .260. He homered in the bottom half of that inning and remained in the game to hit home runs in his next two extra-inning at bats, extending the game each time. The feat made Shamsky the first player in Reds history to hit two home runs in
extra innings in one game. He is also the only player in Major League history to hit three home runs in a game in which he was not in the
starting lineup. His bat from that day is on display at the
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He became a favorite of Jewish fans in New York. In 1969, Shamsky hit .300 (second on the team), with a .375
on-base percentage, a .488
slugging percentage, and 14 home runs (second on the team) as half of a right field
platoon with
Ron Swoboda for the World Champion Mets. He still gets comments about his decision to not play on
Yom Kippur that year. "The funny thing was, the Mets won both ends of a double header that day," he later said. In April 1972, he was released by the St. Louis Cardinals, and five days later signed as a free agent with the
Chicago Cubs.
Chicago Cubs and Oakland A's (1972) After playing 22 games for the Chicago Cubs in 1972, Shamsky was purchased by the
Oakland A's in June of that year, but he was released in July. A chronic back injury was a factor in his decision to retire in 1972 at age 30 after 13 years in pro baseball, with 68 homers and a
World Series ring. ==Halls of Fame==