If you are new to the game of baseball, you might be finding out that there are plenty of different terms or sayings that you hear around the baseball field. Baseball is America’s Pastime and is loved by many people of all ages.
The game is enjoyed by kids of all ages playing little league baseball and many adults love going to a Major League Baseball game or even a minor league baseball game close to where they live.
If you drive past most parks in the summer, chances are the park will be filled with kids playing little league baseball with the bleachers filled with moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas and others that love the game.
We will help you better understand a grand slam in baseball and some other key terms related to the game. Baseball is great entertainment during the spring, summer and fall and the long season gives us something to do daily as we will follow our favorite team or teams.
Imagine this, it is the bottom of the ninth inning and the pitcher starts to struggle, first there is a base hit, followed by a walk and then another walk. Before you know it the bases are loaded and the pitcher is struggling with his command. That three run lead for his team is starting to not seem so large. Then bam, with a swing and a drive of the ball the grand slam happens and the pitcher has blown a three run lead and his team is now down by one.
So, what is a grand slam in baseball?
A grand slam in baseball is when a home run is hit when each base is occupied by a base runner at the time of the pitch. They happen infrequently because the bases must be full and then the hitter has to hit a home run.
Below we will provide the 5 most frequently asked questions around the grand slam. At the end we provide some tips so you can hit more grand slams or help your kid hit more home runs. There are some great drills you can do to increase power and we are fortunate to live in a time when there is some great instructions via youtube and several great training devices.
Grand Slam in Baseball – Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a grand slam so special?
Due to the infrequence of the grand slam, is it something truly special. When you think about it, there are probably only one or two times a game when the bases might actually be loaded. Loaded means, each base has a runner on it.
Then for the hitter to be able come up big time and hit a home run in the clutch to provide a four run swing in the game is impressive. The four runs that are scores can swing the game dramatically and give the team the edge they needed in the game.
At the MLB level, a home run drastically changes the game due to the lack of runs sometimes scores at the professional level when compared to the little league level of baseball.
How frequently does a grand slam take place?
Let’s look at some stats at the major league level in 2018. In over 1672 games, there were a total of 4412 plate appearances with the bases loaded. Out of those 4412 plate appearance only 142 home runs were hit.
This comes out to only 3.2% of time when the bases are actually loaded. During that same season there were 5585 total home runs hit and only 141 were grand slams. This averages out to 2.52% of all home runs are grand slams. When you consider that there were 1672 games and only 141 grand slams.
There is less than an 8 percent percent chance that if you attend a MLB game that you will witness a grand slam.
When the home team hits a grand slam the ballpark explodes with fans going crazy, especially if it occurs late in the game in a close game.
Clutch Grand Slams in MLB History
Who has the most grand slams in MLB history?
Alex Rodriguez is the current record holder with 25 grand slams. He hit a total of 696 home runs in his major league career. That means that 3 percent of his home runs were grand slams. He is 4th all time on the home run lists and was quite the player.
There is speculation that he may have cheated by using steroids. Travis Haffner and Don Mattinngly hold the single season record with 6 grand slams in a season.
Lou Gehrig hit 23 career grand slams and Manny Ramirez hit 21. The all time leader in home runs in MLB is Barry Bonds. He only hit 11 grand slams in his career.
There were times during Barry Bonds’ career that teams would walk him with the bases loaded to avoid giving up the grand slam. They would rather walk one run in versus giving up four and then would take their chances with the person hitting behind Barry Bonds. This shows how special of a stretch that he had with hitting home runs.
How far is the typical home run wall in MLB Baseball?
At the Major League Baseball level, there is a variety of different lengths and wall sizes that make hitting a home run in each park a little unique. However, there are some basic standards that most teams will follow and will be within the range below.
Down the left and right field lines you will typically see a distance of 325 feet. There are places like Fenway Park where the wall is much shorter, but they have the green monster which is 37 feet high. In the left center and right center power alleys you will find most parks to be right around 375 feet. Then in center field you will find most walls to be 400-405 feet from home plate. These numbers are pretty general with some variability.
Unique Grand Slams in baseball?
The only player to hit two grand slams in one inning is Fernando Tatis. This took place in 1999. The crazy part is that both grand slams were off the same pitcher on that day. It happened to be the first and second grand slam of Tatis career. The 8 RBI’s in the inning is also a major league record for most RBI’s in an inning.
How to Hit More Home Runs
1 – Improve your Swing Mechanics
Players must have the proper swing mechanics and should first ensure they are able to make solid contact with the ball a high percentage of the time. Baseball can be a difficult game and the first basic is to hit for a decent average. Once that takes place there can be some emphasis on hitting for more power in the game of baseball. Power wil often come from getting bigger, stronger and faster. Here is a video with on swing mechanics of one of MLB’s best:
2 – Improve your Launch Angle
All the rage recently in baseball is the analytics around launch angle and ball exit speed. A batter must maximize launch angle in order to hit more home runs. For the average person, without the resources this might be difficult to understand or to even try to do. As far as exit speed, getting bigger, stronger and faster will help with the ball exit speeds assuming solid contact. Here is a video on launch angle and some drills you can put into place:
3 – Workout
Working out is important for the majority of sports. The better your body is trained for your sport, the better production you will more than likely get. Getting bigger, stronger, and faster for baseball will help you both at the plate and in the field. You want to bring value to your team and do what it takes to improve your own stats to help your team win more. Here is a video that provides an inside look at what a college is doing to help its players get better in this area:
Grand Slams in Baseball – Summary
The game of baseball is phenomenal and can add a ton of enjoyment to one’s life. Both as a player and a fan, people can enjoy the game. There are many ways to get better at baseball as there is always room for skill development.
It is one of the most highly skilled games around. It takes time and dedication to get better. There are many different hitting and field drills that players can use to get better.
Overall, baseball is supposed to be fun, make sure you are keeping the game fun and looking for your competitive edge in a healthy manner. Parents should be aware of potential burn out in their players and be aware of how coaches are using kids as pitchers.
Make sure to keep the game in perspective for kids and to enjoy the journey. Too often we get caught up in batting average, home runs and other stats and the love of the game is lost.
Stay positive in the pursuit to get better at baseball.
One Potential Competitive Edge
Most players don’t consider the mental side of the game of baseball. From our experience both as players and coaches, the mental side can account for around 50% of the total production of a player.
If you head to the plate with the wrong mindset you decrease your chances of performing at your peak level. Pursuing the mental side of baseball just might be the edge that you need.