The New York Yankees have made history once again. On Thursday, August 25, 2011, the New York Yankees became the first Major League team ever to hit three grand slams in one game.
Robinson Cano, Russell Martin, and Curtis Granderson each hit a bases-loaded home run in the 22-9 blowout of the Oakland A’s. Martin’s grand slam was his second home run of the game. The win avoided a three-game sweep by the A’s and put pressure on the Boston Red Sox to win their night game to keep the Yankees one game behind them.
The Yankees trailed 7-1 after three innings, and it appeared that Oakland would sweep and push the Yankees a little further behind the Red Sox. The Yankees had lost the first two games at home to the A’s while Boston handled the Texas Rangers in Arlington to regain the lead in the AL East. The Yankees scored one in the fourth on Martin’s solo shot, and then the fireworks began. Cano hit his grand slam in the fifth to make it 7-5. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Martin hit a grand slam the other way to right to make it 10-7.
The Yankees rallied for six more in the seventh. In the bottom of the eight, the Yankees led 17-8 when Curtis Granderson made history by sending another grand slam into the right-field bullpen. Andru Jones followed with a solo shot for the Yankees’ final run. The A’s got one in the ninth. By this time, the game was so out of hand that Jorge Posada played second base in the ninth and made the game-ending play.
In all, the Yankees hit five home runs out of 21 total hits to avoid the sweep. The feat not only set a new record, but it may have saved the Yankees’ bid for the AL division title. The race should come down the final week of the season when the Yankees host Boston on September 23, 24, and 25 just before the regular season ends. Both teams will make the playoffs, but the history-making come-from-behind win could mean the difference between the division title and the wild card.
The New York Yankees continue to amaze fans. Their deep history just got deeper. What can they do next?
Source:
YES Network broadcast, Oakland A’s at New York Yankees, August 25, 2011.
Raymond was born in Connecticut into a family spilt between the Red Sox and Yankees. Although he grew up in Florida, Raymond became a Yankees fan. He baseball played through high school and soon after became a varsity coach. He currently coaches Little League in Florida. Raymond previously produced radio sports talk shows and hosted a weekly baseball radio call-in show.