Hitting a home run is hard. Hitting two home runs in the same game is harder. Hitting two home runs in the same inning is hardest. So hard, in fact, it’s happened only 61 times in MLB history. And when Fernando Tatis did it on this date in 1999, he was actually only the 36th player to ever accomplish the feat at the time.
Of course, he also stands alone.
Because, you see, during each of Tatis’ 3rd inning home runs that day … the bases were loaded. That’s right, he hit two grand slams in the same inning! He was the first – and remains the only – player to accomplish that feat.
A 12 million-to-1 occurence:
The odds of hitting TWO grand slams in ONE inning? 12 million to 1. Fernando TatÃs beat those odds 21 years ago today. #TBT
(MLB x @budweiserusa) pic.twitter.com/uIJnu9px6j
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2020
Unreal.
Those were Tatis’ only two hits of the day, but with 8 total RBI, he sure made them count. That year (1999) was also his best in the majors, as Tatis slashed an impressive .298/.404/.553 (141 wRC+) for the Cardinals.