June 18, 1953

Gravette (Benton County) native baseball player Gene Stephens—who played twelve seasons in the 1950s and 1960s, eight for the Boston Red Sox—became the only major league player to have three hits in the same inning. Although Arkansas has never been home to any major league team, the state has contributed in many ways to the sport and its professional roster. While some players from other places developed and improved their skills as college or minor league baseball players in Arkansas (playing for teams such as the Arkansas Razorbacks or the Arkansas Travelers), as of the end of the 2011 baseball season, 148 major league baseball players were born in Arkansas.