List of Major League Baseball single-game grand slam leaders

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A man wearing a baseball cap with the letter "M" at the centre and white baseball uniform with the words BRAVES and the number 40 across the centre, winds up and prepares to deliver a pitch
A man, wearing a blue baseball cap with an interlocking "NY" at the centre, a blue baseball uniform with the words METS across and a blue wristband around both wrists, smiles as he takes batting practice
Tony Cloninger (left) is the only pitcher to hit two grand slams in one game, while Fernando Tatís (right) achieved the unprecedented feat of hitting two grand slams in the same inning in 1999.

In baseball, a grand slam is a home run that is hit when the bases are loaded (i.e., there are runners occupying first, second, and third base simultaneously), thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play.[1] Thirteen players have hit two grand slams in a single Major League Baseball (MLB) game to date, the most recent being Josh Willingham of the Washington Nationals on July 27, 2009.[2] No player has accomplished the feat more than once in his career and no player has ever hit more than two in a game. Tony Lazzeri was the first player to hit two grand slams in a single game, doing so for the New York Yankees against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 24, 1936.[3]

Every team which had a player hit two grand slams won their milestone games. These games have resulted in other single-game MLB records being set due to the prodigious offensive performance. Lazzeri, for example, proceeded to hit a third home run in the game and finished with a total of eleven runs batted in, an American League record.[3][4] Fernando Tatís became the only player to hit two grand slams in the same inning, when he attained the milestone, slugging two in the third inning for the St. Louis Cardinals on April 23, 1999.[3][5] In achieving the feat, he also set a new major league record with eight runs batted in in a single inning.[6][7]

Tony Cloninger is the only pitcher to have accomplished the feat.[5] Bill Mueller hit his grand slams from both sides of the plate,[3][8] while Jim Northrup hit his grand slams on consecutive pitches received in the fifth and sixth innings.[9] Nomar Garciaparra is the sole player to achieve the feat at home, doing so at Fenway Park for the Boston Red Sox.[10] Cloninger is the only player who never hit a grand slam before or after his milestone game, while Robin Ventura—with 18 grand slams—hit more than any other player in this group. Frank Robinson is also a member of the 500 home run club.[11]

Of the nine players eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame who have hit two grand slams in a game, two have been elected, one on the first ballot. Players are eligible for the Hall of Fame if they have played in at least 10 MLB seasons, and have either been retired for five seasons or deceased for at least six months.[12] These requirements leave ineligible one player—Jim Tabor—who did not play in 10 seasons.[13]

Players[edit]

A man, clutching a baseball bat and wearing a red batting helmet and a white baseball uniform with his surname and number partially obscured on his back, swings at a pitch.
Josh Willingham is the most recent player to hit two grand slams in one game, achieving the feat in 2009.
Key
Player Name of the player
Date Date of the two grand slam game
Team The player's team at the time of the game
Opposing team The team against whom the player hit two grand slams
Score Final score of the game, with the player's team score listed first
Career GS The number of grand slams the player hit in his MLB career
† Elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
MLB hitters with two grand slams in one game
Player Date Team Opposing team Score Career GS Ref(s)
Tony Lazzeri† May 24, 1936 New York Yankees Philadelphia Athletics 25–2 8 [14][15]
Jim Tabor July 4, 1939 Boston Red Sox Philadelphia Athletics 18–12 7 [16]
Rudy York July 27, 1946 Boston Red Sox St. Louis Browns 13–6 12 [17]
Jim Gentile May 9, 1961 Baltimore Orioles Minnesota Twins 13–5 6 [18]
Tony Cloninger July 3, 1966 Atlanta Braves San Francisco Giants 17–3 2 [19]
Jim Northrup June 24, 1968 Detroit Tigers Cleveland Indians 14–3 8 [20]
Frank Robinson† June 26, 1970 Baltimore Orioles Washington Senators 12–2 8 [21][22]
Robin Ventura September 4, 1995 Chicago White Sox Texas Rangers 14–3 18 [23]
Chris Hoiles August 14, 1998 Baltimore Orioles Cleveland Indians 15–3 8 [24]
Fernando Tatís April 23, 1999 St. Louis Cardinals Los Angeles Dodgers 12–5 8 [25]
Nomar Garciaparra May 10, 1999 Boston Red Sox Seattle Mariners 12–4 7 [26]
Bill Mueller July 29, 2003 Boston Red Sox Texas Rangers 14–7 4 [27]
Josh Willingham July 27, 2009 Washington Nationals Milwaukee Brewers 14–6 6 [28]

References[edit]

General

  • "Two Grand Slams in One Game". Baseball-Almanac.com. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  • "Career Leaders for Grand Slams". Baseball-Almanac.com. Baseball Almanac. Retrieved July 10, 2012.

Specific

  1. ^ "Guide to baseball". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  2. ^ Ladson, Bill (July 28, 2009). "Two slams from Willingham vault Nats". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Vincent, David (February 28, 2009). Home Run's Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Monumental Dingers, Prodigious Swingers, and Everything Long-Ball. Potomac Books, Inc. pp. 13–16. ISBN 978-1-59797-192-8. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  4. ^ Snyder, John (2004). The World Series' Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Championship Teams, Broken Dreams, and October Oddities. Potomac Books, Inc. p. 154. ISBN 1-5748-8728-9.
  5. ^ a b "Two grand slams in a game – Rare Feats". MLB.com. MLB Advanced Media. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  6. ^ "Tatis hits record two slams in one inning". The Register-Guard. Eugene. Associated Press. April 24, 1999. p. 3D. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  7. ^ "Fantastic Fernando: Tatis hits two slams in one inning as Cards rout Dodgers". CNNSI.com. CNN. April 24, 1999. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Kurkjian, Tim (August 17, 2006). "The grand slam … unusual, yet fun". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved August 30, 2012. Bill Mueller...became the only player to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in the same game.
  9. ^ Couch, Dick (June 25, 1968). "Northrup Ties Record Belting 2 Grand Slams". The Telegraph. p. 12. Retrieved August 10, 2012. [Northrup] drilled Fisher's first offering over the right field fence, then unloaded another first-pitch grand slam off southpaw Hill Rohr in the sixth...
  10. ^ Vincent, David; Stark, Jayson (March 31, 2007). Home Run: The Definitive History of Baseball's Ultimate Weapon. Potomac Books, Inc. p. 215. ISBN 9781597976572. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  11. ^ "Career Leaders & Records for Home Runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  12. ^ "Rules for Election". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  13. ^ "Jim Tabor Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  14. ^ "May 24, 1936 New York Yankees at Philadelphia Athletics Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 24, 1936. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  15. ^ "Tony Lazzeri Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  16. ^ "July 4, 1939 Boston Red Sox at Philadelphia Athletics Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 4, 1939. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  17. ^ "July 27, 1946 Boston Red Sox at St. Louis Browns Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 27, 1946. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  18. ^ "May 9, 1961 Baltimore Orioles at Minnesota Twins Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 9, 1961. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  19. ^ "July 3, 1966 Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 3, 1966. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  20. ^ "June 24, 1968 Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Indians Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 24, 1968. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  21. ^ "June 26, 1970 Baltimore Orioles at Washington Senators Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. June 26, 1970. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  22. ^ "Frank Robinson Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  23. ^ "September 4, 1995 Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. September 4, 1995. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  24. ^ "August 14, 1998 Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland Indians Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. August 14, 1998. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  25. ^ "April 23, 1999 St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. April 23, 1999. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  26. ^ "May 10, 1999 Seattle Mariners at Boston Red Sox Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. May 10, 1999. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  27. ^ "July 29, 2003 Boston Red Sox at Texas Rangers Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 29, 2003. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  28. ^ "July 27, 2009 Washington Nationals at Milwaukee Brewers Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. July 27, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2012.

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