Post-Season Game 1 Grand Slams
Posted by Steve Lombardi on October 2, 2011
How many times has a player hit a grand slam in the first game of a post-season series?
Here is the list -
| Cr# | Gm# | Date | Series | Gm# | Batter | Tm | Opp | Pitcher | Score | Inn | RoB | Out | Pit(cnt) | RBI | WPA | RE24 | Play Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1970-10-03 | ALCS | 1 | Mike Cuellar | BAL | @MIN | Jim Perry | ahead 2-3 | t4 | 123 | 1 | 4 | 0.20 | 2.71 | 2.51 | Home Run; Hendricks Scores; Johnson Scores; Belanger Scores | |
| 2 | 1 | 1977-10-04 | NLCS | 1 | Ron Cey | LAD | PHI | Steve Carlton | down 5-1 | b7 | 123 | 2 | 8 (3-2) | 4 | 0.42 | 3.34 | 2.47 | Home Run; Lopes Scores; Russell Scores; Smith Scores |
| 3 | 1 | 1987-10-17 | WS | 1 | Dan Gladden | MIN | STL | Bob Forsch | ahead 1-3 | b4 | 123 | 0 | 4 (1-2) | 4 | 0.08 | 2.15 | 1.12 | Home Run (LF-CF); Hrbek Scores; Lombardozzi Scores; Laudner Scores |
| 4 | 1 | 1988-10-15 | WS | 1 | Jose Canseco | OAK | @LAD | Tim Belcher | down 2-0 | t2 | 123 | 2 | 2 (1-0) | 4 | 0.38 | 3.37 | 3.28 | Home Run (Line Drive to Deep CF); Hubbard Scores; Stewart Scores; Lansford Scores |
| 5 | 1 | 1989-10-04 | NLCS | 1 | Will Clark | SFG | @CHC | Greg Maddux | ahead 3-4 | t4 | 123 | 2 | 1 (0-0) | 4 | 0.27 | 3.35 | 2.87 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep RF); Sheridan Scores; Uribe Scores; Butler Scores |
| 6 | 1 | 1996-10-01 | ALDS | 1 | Bobby Bonilla | BAL | CLE | Paul Shuey | ahead 3-5 | b6 | 123 | 2 | 6 (3-2) | 4 | 0.14 | 3.29 | 1.74 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep RF); Anderson Scores; Zeile Scores; Palmeiro Scores |
| 7 | 1 | 1998-09-30 | NLDS | 1 | Ryan Klesko | ATL | CHC | Matt Karchner | ahead 0-3 | b7 | 123 | 2 | 6 (3-2) | 4 | 0.05 | 3.33 | .67 | Home Run (Line Drive to Deep RF); Weiss Scores; Lockhart Scores; Jones Scores |
| 8 | 1 | 1998-10-17 | WS | 1 | Tino Martinez | NYY | SDP | Mark Langston | tied 5-5 | b7 | 123 | 2 | 6 (3-2) | 4 | 0.34 | 3.31 | 4.54 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep RF); Jeter Scores; Williams Scores; Davis Scores |
| 9 | 1 | 1999-10-05 | NLDS | 1 | Edgardo Alfonzo | NYM | @ARI | Bobby Chouinard | tied 4-4 | t9 | 123 | 2 | 4 | 0.45 | 3.30 | 6.90 | Home Run; Ordonez Scores; Mora Scores; Henderson Scores | |
| 10 | 1 | 2005-10-04 | NLDS | 1 | Reggie Sanders | STL | SDP | Jake Peavy | ahead 0-4 | b5 | 123 | 1 | 4 (3-0) | 4 | 0.04 | 2.68 | .59 | Home Run (Fly Ball); Edmonds Scores; Pujols Scores; Walker Scores |
| 11 | 1 | 2008-10-01 | NLDS | 1 | James Loney | LAD | @CHC | Ryan Dempster | down 2-0 | t5 | 123 | 2 | 5 (1-2) | 4 | 0.42 | 3.31 | 3.68 | Home Run (Fly Ball); Furcal Scores; Ramirez Scores; Ethier Scores |
| 12 | 1 | 2011-09-30 | ALDS | 1 | Robinson Cano | NYY | DET | Al Alburquerque | ahead 1-4 | b6 | 123 | 2 | 2 (0-1) | 4 | 0.08 | 3.31 | 1.00 | Home Run (Fly Ball to Deep RF); Gardner Scores; Jeter Scores; Granderson Scores |
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It can be a very exciting play...if you're a fan of the team who hit the homer, of course.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Mike Cuellar!
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:44 pm
The first ever World Series GS happened in the same game as the unassisted triple play. 1920.10.10
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:57 pm
canseco's grand salami was overshadowed by someone else's home run.
October 2nd, 2011 at 1:45 pm
Its weird that the 1999 NLDS doesn't have pitch information. I would have figured that someone could have just sat down and watched a video.
October 2nd, 2011 at 6:28 pm
What's remarkable about Cuellar hitting one is that his teammate, Dave McNally, also hit one that postseason, against the Reds in game 3 of the World Series. Who needed a DH?
October 2nd, 2011 at 7:38 pm
It's also interesting that Cuellar was knocked out of the box in the fifth inning of that game, and the win went to reliever Dick Hall.
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:39 pm
The Giants must've had this list ready, they signed Klesko, Sanders, and Alfonzo all at some point following their slams.
October 3rd, 2011 at 9:45 am
@3...in hindsight do you think that GS by Canseco was the worst thing that could've happened to the A's in the World Series?
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:38 am
@8, You're right, having your best player hit a grand slam is something you want to avoid in all situations. That, coupled with Mark McGwire's walk off Home run in game three most likely cost the A's the series.
In retrospect, the only thing that might have changed the series is "Bud Selig's Silly All Star Game Rule." The Athletics own Terry Steinbach was MVP of the ASG that year leading the AL to a 2-1 win. That would have given the A's the home field advantage.
Given that set of circumstance in game one, the Dodgers either start Kirk Gibson as DH but after he walks in the 5th inning they lift him for a pinch runner or they start Mike Davis as DH, never have to use all their pinch hitters, and Lasorda pinch hits Danny Heep instead of Gibson and Eckersley strikes him out.
Oh where is Bud when you need him.
October 3rd, 2011 at 1:02 pm
What daveZ @8 is saying, I interpret, is that the A's would be better off not having lost game 1 the way they did, but rather a more typical 4-2 loss with nothing of particular note happening. The narrative has it that the Dodgers "believed" after that, in a way that lifted their play more than any usual win could have. It makes a nice story. The Jays, 4 years later, had Alomar hit a similar homer against the same guy that had a similar effect (narrative-wise). Whether these effects are real or not is a valid debate.
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:38 pm
The manner in which they lost game one doesn't have anything to do with it- the Dodgers lost game three the exact same way and didn't crumble after that. Even if they had lost 4-2 in a non-walkoff situation, they still had to face Orel Hershiser in games 2 and 5 with the probability of him coming on in relief in game 7. Just in case no one remembers, he threw 6 straight shutouts to close the season, then another in the NLCS- is it any wonder he shut them out in game two? I think the Dodgers started "believing" when Orel turned into Waltecai Cleveland Gibewson for those last two months.
October 3rd, 2011 at 2:53 pm
@6 Cuellar didn't finish the minimum of 5 IP and qualify for the win. He only went 4 1/3 IP.
October 3rd, 2011 at 5:13 pm
@12 Owen23: You have an amazing grasp of the obvious.
October 4th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
There's been exactly one Game 1 postseason grand slam to tie up a game (Ron Cey, 1977 NLCS, #2 on Steve's list), and the Dodgers lost that game when the Phillies scored two runs off Elías Sosa in the top of the ninth. (Dodgers won the series, though.)
October 4th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
@13 sorry dude. trying to help or explain if you didn't know. sorry yet again
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