SAN DIEGO – A Detroit Tigers hitter just did something that’s only been done one other time in the history of baseball, by Ted Williams.
According to Stats Perform -- a site that gives historical context to statistics across sports -- Williams was the only player in MLB history to come to the plate on the road with two outs and his team down 3-0 and hit a grand slam to win the game.
That is, until Thursday night.
That’s the exact situation Parker Meadows stepped into in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres. He then proceeded to hit an opposite-field grand slam off a 3-2, 100 mph fastball to give the Tigers their first lead.
Detroit won the game 4-3.
⚾ READ: Tigers keep playoff hopes alive with most dramatic moment of season
Williams did it on Aug. 27, 1955, so it’s been nearly 70 years since a road team went from the brink of a shutout to a win that dramatic.
I’m not sure if the Red Sox needed that win in 1955 as badly as the Tigers did on Thursday. Meadows’ homer managed to keep the Tigers within five games of a playoff spot with 21 games to go.
In MLB history, 2 players have come to bat on the road with their team down by 3 and an out away from being shut out and then hit a grand slam to win the game.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 6, 2024
One was Parker Meadows for the @tigers tonight.
The other was Ted Williams on August 27, 1955. pic.twitter.com/MtWLY6abLa
