Marlins 2B Dan Uggla becomes 1st at position with four 30-HR seasons

Uggla becomes first 2B to have four 30-HR seasons

MIAMI — Dan Uggla became the first second baseman in major league history to hit 30 home runs four times when he connected for the Florida Marlins on Monday night.

Uggla hit his 30th of the season off Philadelphia reliever David Herndon in the eighth inning of Florida’s 11-4 loss to the Phillies.

“I exhaled,” said Uggla, who got the ball back after the game. “I’m not going to lie.”

The homer was Uggla’s first in 53 at-bats.

Only four other second basemen in big league history have had three seasons of 30 homers or more: Rogers Hornsby (1922, 1925, 1929), Jeff Kent (1998, 2000, 2002), Alfonso Soriano (2002, 2003, 2005) and the Phillies’ Chase Utley (2006, 2008, 2009).

Uggla has 151 home runs in five major league seasons, all with the Marlins. His career high is 32 homers, set in 2008.