The history of multiple grand slams from a player in a single game

Though seemingly an improbable feat, a player has hit two grand slams in a game 13 times throughout MLB history.

I’ve said it before in several other articles of mine on here that one of the biggest things to look forward to when attending a live sporting event is that something may happen that you have simply never seen before.

This of course is a universal across professional sports, but baseball has always stood out in a unique fashion when regarding the opportunity to see something rare. With over 150 years of documented history, the opportunity to see something that will go down in record books that have been kept since the Reconstruction era has continually been a big reason why I love attending baseball games.

I’ve previously written about the occurrances of fairly rare single-game achievements that a fan may luck into seeing – whether that’s watching a pitcher throw a no-hitter or immaculate inning or witnessing a position player hit for the cycle.

Yet beyond that is another echelon of incredibly rare single-game achievements, such as hitting four home runs or five extra-base hits in a game, a pitcher throwing a perfect game and a fielder completing an unassisted triple play.

In the realm of the players with the most seldom-achieved feats are those who have hit two grand slams in a single game, an accomplishment so rare and random that most fans likely haven’t even thought about it happening.

Although it hasn’t occurred since 2009, 13 different players have hit two grand slams in a single MLB game before – with no player having accomplished the feat twice or having hit three grand slams in a game.

Of the 13 occurrences, two stand out for having even more rare characteristics to them – Tony Cloninger of the Atlanta Braves remains the only pitcher to have smacked two grand slams in a single game, happening on July 3, 1966 against the San Francisco Giants.

In perhaps an even more remarkable feat, Fernando Tatís Sr. is the only player to ever hit two grand slams in a single inning, capitalizing on the unthinkable opportunity as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals in a road game at Dodger Stadium on April 23, 1999.

While an incredible and impressive feat, it isn’t lost on myself and likely many other fans that this achievement has much more to do with luck than many of the other rare accomplishments. It isn’t very often that a player even gets two at-bats with the bases loaded in a single game, let alone capitalizes to the full extent on both chances.

With that said, the list of 13 players to have hit two grand slams in a game is a pretty mixed bag of guys from throughout baseball history. Two of the 13 players to record the feat, Tony Lazzeri and Frank Robinson, have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Also included are players that are remembered for having very solid careers even if not Hall of Famers, such as Robin Ventura and Nomar Garciaparra, who recorded the feat in September 1995 and May 1999, respectively.

The list also includes multiple players that were relatively forgotten, with the feat serving as a great answer to a trivia question and a highlight of their career.

Despite home runs skyrocketing in prevalence over the past decade, a player has not hit two grand slams in a game since July 27, 2009, when Josh Willingham of the Washington Nationals unloaded the bases twice against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Of the 13 occurrences, Garciaparra was the only player to accomplish the feat at his home ballpark, while Bill Mueller remains the only player to have hit a grand slam from both sides of the plate in a single game.

Here’s a look at the 13 players to have hit two grand slams in a single game, listed in chronological order alongside their team and opponent:

1. Tony Lazzeri, New York Yankees: May 24, 1936 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
2. Jim Tabor, Boston Red Sox: July 4, 1939 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
3. Rudy York, Boston Red Sox: July 27, 1946 vs. St. Louis Browns
4. Jim Gentile, Baltimore Orioles: May 9, 1961 vs. Minnesota Twins
5. Tony Cloninger, Atlanta Braves: July 3, 1966 vs. San Francisco Giants
6. Jim Northrup, Detroit Tigers: June 24, 1968 vs. Cleveland Indians
7. Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles: June 26, 1970 vs. Washington Senators
8. Robin Ventura, Chicago White Sox: September 4, 1995 vs. Texas Rangers
9. Chris Hoiles, Baltimore Orioles: August 14, 1998 vs. Cleveland Indians
10. Fernando Tatís, St. Louis Cardinals: April 23, 1999 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
11. Nomar Garciaparra, Boston Red Sox: May 10, 1999 vs. Seattle Mariners
12. Bill Mueller, Boston Red Sox: July 29, 2003 vs. Texas Rangers
13. Josh Willingham, Washington Nationals: July 27, 2009 vs. Milwaukee Brewers