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More Fun With Baseball Oddities: The Single Season Grand Slam Record
“When I hit a grand slam I always called it a ‘grand salami. In that way, I always managed to get a nice big salami delivered to my home by the Hebrew National salami people! – Ernie Banks, speaking of the origin of the term, “Grand Salami”
I love uncovering baseball oddities…you know…things that happen “between the white lines” that are very rare, some of which may never happen again. And I know you love reading about these things too, because…well…you’re a baseball fan! So baseball oddities are right up our alley!
In the past, I’ve had fun with such oddities as natural cycles, reverse natural cycles, immaculate innings, double-triple steals, three brothers in the same outfield, all-rookie starting lineup, pitching two complete game shutouts on the same day, and unassisted triple plays. One time I even figured out what are the odds of pitching a Perfect Game. (Click out my categories: “It’ll Never Happen Again and Baseball Rarities).
Today I uncovered another oddity that fits nicely into this category. It has to do with the single season grand slam record. You might be wondering what’s the big fuss I’m making about this is. Well, read on…
Thanks to my friend Joe Shrylock who sent me this information, I discovered that the American League record for the most grand slams in a single season is held jointly by Don Mattingly (1987) and Travis Hafner (2006) with six.
Nothing unusual so far, but consider this about Mattingly’s feat: Over his 14-year major league career (1982-1995), his grand slam totals look like this (I’ve enumerated it this way for effect!):
1982: 0
1983: 0
1984: 0
`1985: 0
1986: 0
1987: 6 [!]
1988: 0
1989: 0
1990: 0
1991: 0
1992: 0
1993: 0
1994: 0
1995: 0
So, yes, you’re reading that correctly. Mattingly, who is tied for the American League single-season grand slam record with six in 1987 never hit another one over his entire career! I’d call that a real baseball oddity!
A few other interesting tidbits about grand slams:
- Alex Rodriguez currently holds the record for most career grand slams with 25.
A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, early in his career with the Mariners - Roger Conner is believed to have been the first major league player to hit a grand slam (September 10, 1881 for the Troy Trojans of the National League).
- Lou Gehrig held the major league record for grand slams with 23 until 2011.
- Several grand slams, the first being Connor’s, are called “ultimate grand slams”: a walk-off grand slam for a one-run victory.
- Ernie Banks (1955) and Albert Pujols (2009) share the single-season National League record with five grand slams each.
- In 1968, Jim Northrup of the Detroit Tigers set a major league record by hitting three grand slams in a week, including two in consecutive at-bats of a game ( I remember this game!).
- Four players hit a grand slam in their first Major League at-bat: Bill Duggleby (1898), Jeremy Hermida (2005), Kevin Kouzmanoff (2006), and Daniel Nava (2010).
- Fernando Tatís is the only player to hit two grand slams in the same inning, with the Cardinals, in 1999.
- Tony Cloninger is the only pitcher to hit two grand slams in one game, for the Atlanta Braves in 1966..
- Bill Mueller is the only player to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in the same game (2003).
- Robin Ventura is the only player to hit a grand slam in both games of a doubleheader (1999).
- The Yankees became the first team in MLB history to hit three grand slams in one game (2011).
- On June 3, 2017, a major league record-breaking seven grand slams were hit on one day.
Career Grand Slam Leaders
| Name | Total |
| Alex Rodriguez | 25 |
| Lou Gehrig | 23 |
| Manny Ramírez | 21 |
| Eddie Murray | 19 |
| Willie McCovey | 18 |
| Robin Ventura | 18 |
| Jimmie Foxx | 17 |
| Carlos Lee | 17 |
| Ted Williams | 17 |
| Hank Aaron | 16 |
| Dave Kingman | 16 |
| Babe Ruth | 16 |
| Albert Pujols | 16 |
If you have a favorite “baseball oddity” I’d like to hear about it. We’d love to hear what you think about this or any other related baseball history topic…please leave comments below.
Gary Livacari
P.S.: Here’s a nice follow-up to this essay sent by Paul Doyle in the comment section, but I’ve included it here:
Gary,
Love the oddities posts.
I attended the oddest game in which the same player played for both sides. It’s never happened in baseball history. Over 150 years!
Danny Jansen was up at bat in the top of the 2nd with one strike on June 26 for the Toronto Blue Jays when the skies opened and the game was ultimately suspended with a reschedule date of August 26th. The Red Sox catcher was Reese McGuire.
In the interim, Jansen was traded to the Red Sox and McGuire was DFA’d.
With the game resuming two months later,
Jansen was inserted into McGuire’s spot behind the plate as the game resumed. With Jansen no longer with Toronto, a PH was announced. In effect, Jansen switched roles with an 0-1 count (with a two month delay in between).
A nice touch to what was my 500th game @ Fenway Park ( I am a nerd who has religiously kept track of all my games there over time.
In any event, just wanted to add to the oddity HOF. As Yogi once said, “You know, you never know.”
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I think you can add to the “Might not ever happen again” list:
Chan Ho Park yielded TWO grand slams in one inning . . . to the same player.
I don’t know that any pitcher will ever be left in again to absorb that kind of punishment.
The incredible part of Gehrig’s story is that he usually batted right behind a player who cleared the bases hundreds of times when they played together.
Thanks Andy…I saw that about Park when I was putting this essay together, but decided not to include. So glad you posted it…it’s a good one, and I think we can safely say it’ll never happen again!
Gary,
Love the oddities posts.
I attended the oddest game in which the same player played for both sides. It’s never happened in baseball history. Over 150 years!
Danny Jansen was up at bat in the top of the 2nd with one strike on June 26 for the Toronto Blue Jays when the skies opened and the game was ultimately suspended with a reschedule date of August 26th. The Red Sox catcher was Reese McGuire.
In the interim, Jansen was traded to the Red Sox and McGuire was DFA’d.
With the game resuming two months later,
Jansen was inserted into McGuire’s spot behind the plate as the game resumed. With Jansen no longer with Toronto, a PH was announced. In effect, Jansen switched roles with an 0-1 count (with a two month delay in between).
A nice touch to what was my 500th game @ Fenway Park ( I am a nerd who has religiously kept track of all my games there over time.
In any event, just wanted to add to the oddity HOF. As Yogi once said, “You know, you never know.”
Thanks Paul…I do remember reading something about this somewhere, but it’s always great to get a personal remembrance. Definitely belongs in the Oddities Hall of Fame. I’ve added it to the text of the essay. I’m tempted to do a separate writeup about this game!
Thanks, Gary.
I believe there has been a situation where a player plays for a team in game 1 of a doubleheader and then traded to the opposing team during the hiatus before game 2 and played for the other team in the second game.
But, playing for both teams in the same game is a first and could only happen in those extenuating circumstances.
Yeah I do remember at least one instance of a guy being traded during a double header. Wish I could remember who it is.
I wonder if anyone was ever “cheated” out of a grand slam in the days when a walk off hit only counted as the number of bases needed to advance the winning run.
Now that might be worth investigating!
Gary,
It was Joel Youngblood in 1982. He got a hit for the Mets in the first game. The trade was already in the works that day.
After the first game, the trade was made.
Youngblood started for the Expos in game two.
He got a hit in both games for both teams.
To make it even more WTF, he got them off Steve Carlton and Ferguson Jenkins.!!
Thanks…I think I remember one also from the old days. I’ll see if I can find it. I think it was a double header. They were traded for each other after the first game during the break.
Yeah…here’s the one I was thinking about: “Max Flack and Cliff Heathcote are the only players to play for both teams in a doubleheader, having been traded by the Cubs and Cardinals, between games in May 1922.”
Vince,
Don’t know if any were Grand Slams, but prior to 1920, there were 43 times a game ended with a HR that was not credited as such. One included Babe Ruth and there is an interesting narrative on how the considered to add one to Babe in 1969. Quite a controversy. The attached link is long and confusing at times, but interesting how we forget that baseball rules have changed many times and yet we resist them for “purity “ sake.
https://sabr.org/journal/article/how-rules-changes-in-1920-affected-home-runs/
What makes this one so interesting is that the first game was an afternoon game in Chicago, and the second was a night game in Philly! So he played for two different teams in two different cities!
Wow. 1922 was all train travel. How was that even possible. Sounds like Eugene’O’Neil should have been an umpire for the “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”. 😁
Haha! You’re got the games confused (which is very understandable!). It was Joel Youngblood in 1982 who played for the Mets in Chicago in an afternoon game and then flew to Philly and played for the Expos for the night game. In the 1922 game, Jeff Heathcote and Max Flack were traded for each other in the break between the doubleheader games, so that both guys played for both teams.
Thanks, Gary.
Yeah, a little different spin with the Youngblood situation. Thought it was a trade between games where Youngblood played for both teams.
Maybe you can trade me to another history site, so that I can screw up another oddity.
Haha! Don’t worry about it! I’m in the middle of writing up an essay about all this which hopefully will settle all the confusion. Thanks for giving me the idea for this essay. It’s be out tomorrow and I think you’ll enjoy it.
For oddities, you should have mentioned the only in all MLB HISTORY walk off inside-the-park Grand Slam!
I’ll give you a hint – It happened in the 1950’s, and was struck by The Great One, Roberto Clemente of the Pittsburgh Pirates!