Grand Slams! Going long with loaded bases - MLB Feature
Grand slam is a term used in some sports to refer to major tournaments. However, in baseball, they mean a batter hitting a home-run with all three bases loaded, driving in the maximum four runs possible with a single hit. In baseball, perhaps nothing can
change the game as quickly as a bases loaded home-run.
The first grand slam in Major League baseball was reported to be hit by Roger Connor in September of 1881 playing for Troy Trojans. Ten years earlier, the then Boston Red Stockings (now Atlanta Braves) hitter Charlie Gould smashed a grand slam in the National
League. As MLB was formed in 1975, it was therefore not considered as a Major League grand slam.
The most grand slams hit in a single season are by Don Mattingly, who hit six in 1987 playing for the New York Yankees. The record was equaled by Travis Hafner in 2006 playing for the Cleveland Indians. Interestingly, these are the only six grand slams Don
hit in his career.
The most grand slams by a batter is also a joint record. Lou Gehrig and Alex Rodriguez currently hold the record with 23 grand slams each. Manny Ramirez is next in line with 21 grand slams.
There have been four such instances when a batter was able to hit a grand slam in his first at-bat in the Major League. Daniel Nava being the last one to do so in 2010. Three of the four on the list blasted their first pitches away to achieve the feat.
On eight occasions, a team has been able to hit a grand slam twice in a single innings. Interestingly the feat has been achieved both in the American League and the National League at the same number of times.
St. Louis Cardinals’ Fernando Tatis is the only person in the history of MLB to hit two grand slams in a single innings. He achieved this monumental feat in April of 1999 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. On both occasion the pitcher was Chan Ho Park. He
is the only second person in the National League to hit two grand slams in a single match. These were the first grand slams for Tatis in his Major League career. Interestingly the first person to do so, Tony Cloninger, was a pitcher.
Tony Cloninger did so, for the Atlanta Braves, in 1966 against the San Francisco Giants. A big number of pitchers have hit one grand slam each but no one other then Tony could hit more than one.
Park is the only second pitcher to give away two grand slams in a single innings and the only one in over a hundred years. The only other pitcher who gave two away in an innings, though on this occasion two different batters smashed one each, was Bill Phillips
of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
There have been a few instances where a team hit a grand slam in three or more consecutive games and similarly there have been teams who have been on the receiving end in three or more consecutive games.
A total of 18 grand slams have been hit in World Series games, with the team hitting them only losing on two occasions. Last such grand slam was it by Paul Konerko in October 2005 for the Chicago White Sox against the Houston Astros. The White Sox eventually
won the match 7-6.
Grand slams are one of the many aspects of the game that make it exciting both for the players and spectators. It’s a rare feat that brings the crowds to its feet and shows the excellence in the hitting skills of a batter.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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