If you are here because you have heard baseball fans talking about baseball grand slams but you cannot join because you are unsure of the grand slam baseball definition, you are in the right place to find out.
This article will answer the question “What is a grand slam in baseball” in detail. Essentially, it is when a home run is made by the batter. But, there are a few other details worth noting about this notion. So, continue reading!
Contents
What is a Grand Slam in Baseball
You will often hear and see headlines for baseball grand slams. They are an entire sensation on their own! Don’t trust us? Run a quick Google search and see it for yourself.
In short, a grand slam is a home run. When a player hits a grand slam, he or she is batting one with runner-players on the first, second, and third base.
This is considered the ultimate hit in baseball because it scores four runs! Needless to say, it is not easy to execute. Not every talented baseball player is able to make a grand slam. By this token, you can at least envision the wild reactions of fans and the general audience when seeing it happen on the field.
Grand Slams in the Past
In the past, grand slams were common. However, this is not to imply that today’s players are worse. The reason is that inside-the-park home runs (IPHR) were previously deemed grand slams. This refers to when a home run clears the outfield fence without leaving the park. It is possible if the out-fielder misplays and the hitter has plenty of time to complete all bases.
Prior to the 1920s, the fences were a lot further from the home plate. Plus, the equipment cannot carry nearly as well. Thus, grand slams are rarer nowadays. Statistically, following the Dead Ball era, MLB grand slams happen on average fewer than 20 times a year.
Another reason why grand slams are uncommon is that there are not a lot of cases for runners to be readily available at all three bases for encircling.
The Origin of the Term “Grand Slams”
The “grand slam” term comes from Bridge, a card game, which is used to indicate a player winning every trick. It was adopted by baseball leagues for the fact that the meanings mirror each other and the analogy was widely known.
The Variants of the Term “Grand Slams”
During live commentaries and calls, variants of “grand slam” are grand-slam home run, grand salami, salami, and slam.
The Wall of Fame: Grand Slam Hitters
This section is dedicated to the notable mentions of grand slam hitters.
- The first person to hit the first recorded grand slam hitter is Roger Conner on September 10, 1881. His hit was during the ninth inning when two National League teams, the Troy Trojans and the Worcesters played one another.
- The first Major League team to hit three grand slams in one game is the New York Yankees on August 25, 2011. In this match, talented players Curtis Granderson, Russel Martin, and Robinson Cano did the honors, leading to an ultimate win of 22 to 9 points against the Oakland A’s.
- The first MLB pitcher to make a grand slam since 2018 is Atlanta Braves’ Huascar Ynoa. His hit impressively measured 427 feet!
- The baseball team with the highest record of consecutive grand slams in 2020 is the San Diego Padres. They are written down in MLB history as the only team to hit a grand slam for four games in a row.
- The baseball player with the highest number of grand slams in an MLB career is Alex Rodriguez. He has set the bar at 25 hits while serving for the Seattle Mariners, the Texas Rangers, as well as the New York Yankees.
- Most recently, the Chicago White Sox’s leader Jose Abreu made two grand slams in the first six games of the season. He is the second player recorded for this in MLB history. Before that, this title was reserved for Juan Encarnacion who played for the former Florida Marlins, 2005. For even more details, read this.
Players who have delivered two grand slams in a single game
- May 24 – 1936- Tony Lazzeri
- July 4- 1939 – Jim Tabor
- July 27 – 1946 – Rudy York
- May 9- 1961 – Jim Gentile
- July 3- 1966 – Tony Claninger
- June 24 – 1968 – Jim Northrup
- June 26- 1970 – Frank Robinson
- September 4 – 1995 – Robin Ventura
- August 14 – 1998 – Chris Hoiles
- April 23 – 1999 – Fernando Tatis
- May 10 – 1999 – Nomar Garciaparra
- July 29 – 2003 – Bill Muelier
- July 27 – 2009 – Josh Willingham
Players who have delivered a grand slam in their first big league
- April 21 – 1898 – Bill Duggleby
- August 31 – 2005 – Jeremy Hermida
- September 2 – 2006 – Kevin Kouzmanoff
- Jun 12 – 2010 – Daniel Nava
Conclusion
So, with that, you have reached the closing remarks on this article on what is a grand slam in baseball. You should now be aware of the baseball term and other relevant facts around it. Such as ERA, MVR, and FIP in Baseball.
You can comfortably join in on discussions with other baseball enthusiasts on this topic! If you have any other follow-up questions or thoughts regarding this, you are warmly welcomed to let us know in the comments. We are always super happy to hear from our readers. Also, if you think this will benefit others, share it!
Five years as a baseball player, my training approaches with this game give me the motivation to inspire and support young players more. Like all sports, we should start with the desire to have fun and maintain our resilience to strive better at any competition. But, of course, some of us want to have some fun and train for better health. It does not matter what your initial purpose is; I believe that most people ever holding on to the baseball bat will fall in love with the games as I do.
