A grand slam in baseball is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners, scoring four runs - the most possible in one play). The term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves taking all the possible tricks). In baseball, the term refers to a team scoring as many runs as possible in one at-bat. A grand slam usually has a significant impact on the result of the game because four runs score on the play. Grand slams are rare and are entirely a result of the circumstances, meaning some of the games greatest sluggers havent hit many grand slams simply because the situation (three men on base) doesnt present itself often.
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. 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. 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.
