More Fun with Baseball Trivia: “Poosh “Em Up” Tony Lazzeri First To Hit Two Grand Slams in One Game!

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More Fun with Baseball Trivia: Tony Lazzeri First To Hit Two Grand Slams in One Game!

We’re all baseball history fans, so it follows that we love baseball trivia, right? So here’s some interesting trivia involving two grand slams in a single game:

At Shibe Park, seventy-two years ago this week (May 25, 1936), Tony Lazzeri had a pretty good game. He became the first major leaguer to hit two grand slams in the same game, as the Yankees annihilated the A’s by the unbelievable score of 25-2. With the two “Grand Salamis” Lazzeri established a new American League record with 11 RBIs in a single game.

That led me to thinking more about multiple grand slams in a single game. Here’s a little bit of what I found:

• Hitting two gram slams in one game is a rare feat accomplished by only thirteen players, the last being Josh Willingham of the Nationals on July 27, 2009.  No one has done it more than once. (*See list at bottom of post).
• Only one player has hit two grand slams in the same inning: Fernando Tatis of the Cardinals in the third inning of a game played against the Dodgers on April 23, 1999. In doing so, he probably had the greatest inning in the long history of the game, setting a major league record with eight RBIs in a single inning.
• Robin Ventura was the first player to hit a grand slam in each game of a double header (May 20, 1999). Ventura also hit two grand slams in a single game (September 4, 1995).  Among this group of two grand slams in one game hitters, he has the most career grand slams (18).
• On July 29, 2003, switch hitter Bill Mueller of the Red Sox hit a grand slam from each side of the plate, the only player to do so.
• Nomar Garciaparra is the only one to have his multiple grand slam game at home.
• Frank Robinson is the only member of the 500 home run club to accomplish the multiple grand slam feat. He and Tony Lazzeri are the only Hall-of-Famers in the group.
• Four Red Sox players have hit two grand slams in one game; three Orioles have done it.
• “Poosh ’em up Tony” Lazzeri and Jim Northrup are the only two players to hit two grand slams in the same game and also hit one in the World Series. Lazzeri hit them all in 1936, and Northrup hit them all in 1968. Northrup hit his two grand slams on consecutive pitches thrown to him in the 5^th and 6^th innings (June 4, 1968). [Ed. Note: Thanks to Larry Rockenseuss for pointing out that Jim Northrup came up a third time in that game with the bases loaded but unfortunately struck out!]
• Tony Cloninger is the only pitcher in major league history to hit two grand slams in one game.
• Positional breakdown: Catcher (1), pitcher (1), shortshop (1), second baseman (1), left fielder (1), first basemen (2), right fielders (2), third basemen (4).

*Alphabetical list of players who have hit two grand slams in a single game:

Tony Cloninger, Nomar Garciaparra, Jim Gentile, Chris Hoiles, Tony Lazzeri, Bill Mueller, Jim Northrup, Frank Robinson, Jim Tabor, Gernando Tatis, Robin Ventura, Josh Willingham, Rudy York.

Gary Livacari

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Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the Grand Slam Wikipedia page.

Check out my two books, both now available on Amazon in e-book and paperback:  “Paul Pryor in His Own Words: The Life and TImes of a 20-Year Major League Umpire” and “Memorable World Series Moments.” All profits go to the Illinois Veterans Foundation

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