One of the most common questions I hear is…What is a grand slam in baseball?
Howdy friends and welcome back!
With only a week to go before the new season begins, I wanted to address another common question about baseball that I see pretty often…the grand slam!
In this article we will discuss what a grand slam is, and go through a couple of scenarios that result in a grand slam.
So without further ado, let’s get right to it.
What Is A Grand Slam In Baseball?
A grand slam in baseball occurs when a batter hits a home run at the same time when all 3 bases are occupied by a runner.
A grand slam is the ultimate achievement for a batter, as far as production at the plate.
When a batter hits a grand slam, they are credited with 4 RBI’s (runs batted in). They are credited with 3 RBI’s for the runners already on base and 1 for themself.
A grand slam in softball is the same as baseball.
2 Grand Slam Examples
#1
In this example, we will say that the first 2 batters of the inning hit singles and they currently occupy 1st and 2nd base.
The 3rd batter of the inning gets an intentional walk from the pitcher. Now all three bases are occupied with runners.
This puts the pitcher in a precarious position because if he walks the next batter, a run will be forced in. This puts the batter in a great position because he knows the pitcher will need to throw some pitches over the plate to avoid a walk.
The pitcher delivers the pitch right down the middle and the batter hits a deep shot over the center field fence!
All runners, plus the batter come home to score and the batter is credited with a grand slam and collects his 4 RBI’s!
#2
In this example, we will say the first 3 batters were all walked by our pitcher who seems to be a little off today.
Why the manager hasn’t taken him out yet is a mystery to us!
The next batter hits a sharp line drive down the 1st baseline and the ball rolls all the way to the corner in the outfield.
Our speedy runner is able to make it all the way around the bases and touch home before the ball can make it back to the catcher.
The batter is awarded with a grand slam and 4 RBI’s!
Does The Batter Have To Hit The Ball Over The Fence For A Grand Slam?
No.
As we’ve seen in example #2 above, a batter can hit a grand slam without hitting the ball over the outfield fence.
Example #2 would be scored as an “inside the park grand slam.”
As you can imagine, an inside the park home run requires a tremendous amount of speed on behalf of the runner.
When I say fast, I mean fast! The Tampa Bay Ray’s Kevin Kiermaier recorded one of the fastest trips around the bases on an inside the park grand slam home run in 14.29 seconds!
Let’s just look at the distance between bases. 90′ x 4 bases = 360′ or 120 yards. Now assume he probably added another 40 or 50 extra feet as he rounded the bases. Approximately 400′ in 14 seconds…Amazing!
Does An Error Negate An Inside The Park Grand Slam Home Run?
Yes.
As with most offensive plays during a baseball game, if an error is committed during the play, it will change the way a play is scored.
For example:
If the bases were loaded when the batter hits the ball into the field, but the fielder makes a bad throw or fails to field the ball properly and it gets by them when it shouldn’t have, the defense would be charged with an error on the play.
Depending on where the runners are when the error occurs, it will not be scored as a home run. If the runners who were already on base already scored, but the batter is only halfway to 3rd, then the scoring could be something like: Triple – E9 – 3RBI, even if the batter is able to score.
This would mean the batter is credited with a triple and 3 RBI’s, but not the grand slam, due to the error that occurred during the play. The scoring is up to the sole discretion of the official scorer of the game.
What Is A Grand Slam In Baseball?: Close It Out!
A grand slam is what we all dream about as a kid.
Stepping to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th inning with a 3-2 count and down by 3 runs.
And then it happens… The baseball looks like a beach ball coming out of the pitchers hand and it’s coming right down the middle.
Your eyes light up. You take a deep breath. You step. You swing with everything you have. You hit the ball.
It’s a grand slam!
I hope you enjoyed the article and that we were able to answer the question…What is a grand slam in baseball?
If you have any other questions about this article, or anything else, please leave a comment below and I will get back with you as soon as possible.
Thanks for stopping by ~Jeremy
