List of Major League Baseball single-game grand slam leaders

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]

  1. ^ "Guide to baseball". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on August 3, 2017. 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. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  6. ^ "Tatis hits record two slams in one inning". The Register-Guard. Eugene. Associated Press. April 24, 1999. p. 3D. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  7. ^ "Fantastic Fernando: Tatis hits two slams in one inning as Cards rout Dodgers". CNNSI.com. CNN. April 24, 1999. Archived from the original on August 23, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  8. ^ Kurkjian, Tim (August 17, 2006). "The grand slam … unusual, yet fun". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. 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. Archived from the original on February 8, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2012.
  12. ^ "Rules for Election". National Baseball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  13. ^ "Jim Tabor Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2012.