Grand slam (baseball)

In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all the bases occupied by baserunners, thereby scoring four runs—the most possible on a single play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves taking all the possible tricks. The word slam, by itself, is usually connected with a loud sound, particularly of a door being closed with excess force; thus, slamming the door on one's opponent(s). The term was extended to various sports, such as golf and tennis, for winning all the major tournaments. It is even used in restaurants, for example a "grand slam breakfast" consisting of samplings of all the most common dishes. Word-playing sportscasters have also coined the popular (and etymologically unrelated) variation "grand salami".

Notable highlights

Roger Connor is believed to have been the first major league player to hit a grand slam, on September 10, 1881 for the Troy Trojans. Although Charlie Gould hit one for the Boston Red Stockings in the National Association on September 5, 1871, the NA is not recognized by MLB as a major league.Lou Gehrig hit 23 career grand slam home runs, the most by any player in Major League Baseball history. Meanwhile, Don Mattingly set the single-season record with six grand slams in – remarkably, the only grand slams of his entire 14-year career. Travis Hafner tied Mattingly's Major League record...
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