Bradley Zimmer on home run off brother, Royals’ Kyle Zimmer: ‘It’s a mix of emotions’

Heading into the Royals’ game Monday in Cleveland, the Zimmer brothers had faced off twice in a major-league game.

The Royals’ Kyle Zimmer had one walk and one strikeout against Cleveland’s Bradley Zimmer. Things were all even until the eighth inning of what would be an 8-3 Cleveland victory.

That’s when Bradley Zimmer stepped to the plate and crushed a 1-1 pitch from Kyle Zimmer for a 408-foot home run. It was a no-doubter.

After the game, Bradley Zimmer told reporters the homer was a bit of redemption since Kyle had struck him out in their last meeting.

“I’d say it’s a mix of emotions,” Bradley Zimmer said. “I don’t necessarily pride myself just because I hit that off of my brother. Hopefully, someday, we’ll be on the same team. I’d like to be on the same team.

“But it was fun. It was a little, I guess, redemption. He got me the first time, so I had to make it even.”

MLB.com’s Sarah Langs said it was the fourth time since 1900 that a player has homered off his brother.

Here are the others:

In the first game of a doubleheader on Oct. 7, 1904, George Stovall of the Cleveland Naps hit his only home run of the season off the Tigers’ Jesse Stovall in Detroit.

On July 19, 1933, Rick Ferrell of the Red Sox hit a three-run homer off Cleveland’s Wes Ferrell in Boston.

Pitcher Joe Niekro hit the only home run of his 22-year career in the seventh inning of the Houston Astros’ game against the Braves on May 29, 1976. It was a solo shot off Phil Niekro in Atlanta.