Interesting Facts About Grand Slams

SI Staff | May 14, 2012

Interesting Facts About Grand Slams /

Interesting Facts About Grand Slams

Lou Gehrig

No one has hit more grand slams in a career than the Iron Horse, who connected for 23. Alex Rodriguez is second with 22.

Robero Clemente

Among his many talents, Clemente in the only player to hit a walk-off, inside-the-park grand slam, accomplishing that on July 25, 1956 in a 9-8 Pittsburgh win against the Chicago Cubs.

Tony Cloninger (1966)

The power pitcher compiled a career 113-97 record with 1,120 strikeouts and won 24 games with the 1965 Braves, but he was also the only pitcher to hit two grand slams in a game.

Fred Lynn (1983)

Lynn hit the only grand slam in All-Star history off the Giants' Atlee Hammer and was named MVP after being elected to the team for the ninth consecutive year.

Fernando Tatis

Tatis' best year (34 HR, 107 RBIs) was 1999, with no game better than April 23, when he made history by hitting two grand slams in a single inning against the Dodgers' Chan Ho Park. It also set a record for most RBIs in an inning.

Robin Ventura (1999)

Ventura's walk-off "grand single" gave the Mets a 4-3 win over the Braves in Game 5 of their NLCS. Ventura was rounding the bases after hitting a pitch over the wall when Todd Pratt, the runner who was on first, picked up Ventura (shown) in celebration. Subsequently, Ventura was mobbed by his teammates, never finishing his trot around the bases. Because he failed to touch all four bases, the hit was officially scored a single.

Travis Hafner, Don Mattingly

They own the record for most slams in a season, six. Hafner came through in 2006, with Mattingly first setting the mark in 1987.

Alexi Ramirez (2008)

As a rookie, Ramirez set a single-season record with four grand slams.

Daniel Nava (2010)

How many have hit grand slams on the first pitch they've seen in the big leagues? Two -- and Nava did it against the Phillies. The other was Kevin Kouzmanoff in 2006. Two others Bill Duggleby (1898) and Jeremy Hermida (2005) have slams in their first at-bats.

Brooks Conrad (2010)

Conrad's "super walk-off slam" capped a seven-run ninth in the Braves' 10-9 victory over the Reds.

New York Yankees (2011)

From left, Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson hit grand slams on Aug. 25 against Oakland. The Yankees became the first team in major league history to hit three grand slams in a game, on the way to a 22-9 win.

Giancarlo Stanton, Joey Votto

The Marlins' Giancarlo Stanton and the Reds' Joey Votto both hit game-ending grand slams on May 13, 2012, marking the first day with two walk-off slams since April 10, 1998, when Mo Vaughn of the Red Sox and the Padres' Steve Finley accomplished the feat. Votto became the first player ever to cap a three-homer game with a slam.

Published May 14, 2012

SI STAFF