After loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 5th, pitcher Cole Irvin received a mound visit from his pitching coach. The particulars of that conversation will forever remain a mystery to us, but I suspect the coach did not tell his pitcher to throw “the grand slam pitch.”
Pitchers. Hard-headed, man:
First career grand slam for @albertalmora! #EverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/x5VP6Jx3wh
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) May 23, 2019
That was Almora’s first career grand slam, and no cheapy at 103.7 mph and 419 feet. The wind helped some, sure, but that baby was crushed.
Almora was rewarded with an especially loud curtain call:
Curtain call for Almora from the packed house here at Wrigley. About the loudest I've heard the "Friendly Confines" this season for Almora's first career grand slam.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) May 23, 2019
And with that homer in tow, Almora is now hitting .277/.317/.438 on the season, good for a 99 wRC+, or just 1 percent below league average.