The First Back-to-Back Grand Slam

Today is the birthday of Jim Gentile, born in San Francisco, California, 1934.

On May 9th, 1961, Gentile found himself staring down Twins pitcher Pedro Ramos with the bases loaded in the first, and the count 0-2. By the end of the second inning, he’d set an improbable record.

Just days earlier, the Orioles first baseman had ripped up his knee running after running into a wall while playing against the Kansas City Athletics. It was bruised, scratched up and hurt. But before the game against the Twins, Gentile had said to himself, “Geez, if I get out and somebody does good, I could be out of here.”

It took nearly ten years for Gentile to work his way from the minor leagues to the show. Originally signed as a pitcher out of high school for the Dodgers, he quickly transitioned to first base. It was a good move. His bat was much more effective than his stuff on the mound, and each season he got better. But with the Brooklyn Dodgers first base position blocked by Gil Hodges, he had nowhere to go. 

Finally, after the 1959 season, the Dodgers traded the San Francisco native to Baltimore. He did not impress in spring training. Manager Paul Richards called Gentile into his office and told him, “Son, you can’t be as bad as you look.” He selected him for the 1960 season with the understanding that he had a month to prove he deserved it.

So despite the strong performance in the 1960 season that earned him an All-Star appearance and second place in Rookie of the year balloting — it made sense that Gentile didn’t want to chance even a day off against the Twins. 

Ramos threw the third pitch in his sequence. A high fastball. Gentile connected, sending it over the Metropolitan stadium wall. A grand slam.

In his very next at bat, he’d hit another. It’d be the first time in major league history a player hit back-to-back grand slams. Sticking to it paid off. 

Dirty Pitches, Hard Shoves, and Slick Snaps

• MLB Standings, Visualized – Traditional standings are nice, but they only tell so much of the story. As we’re now about 1/3rd of the way through the season, it’s worth checking out a visual representation of each league and division.

• No Charm from Mayo – This past Saturday’s matchup between the Orioles and White Sox saw a flare in tempers after Coby Mayo’s got caught between first and second, and responded by giving Lenyn Sosa a hard shove. Benches cleared.

• Rub Some Dirt On It – All-American softball pitcher Lyndsey Grein threw a nasty pitch across the plate to Oregon catcher Emma Cox — and about halfway there it got even filthier, hitting a clod kicked up by Grein’s cleats. You have to see it to believe it.

• Sunday Night Baseball on…Apple? – Apple TV is emerging as a front runner to buy the rights for ESPN’s current broadcasting rights. The MLB is currently weighing the pros and cons of increased reach from traditional broadcasting, or more dollars from a streamer.

• Snaps & Cracks – MLB selects their favorite photos of the week across the league taken by their photographer. Check them out here.

6/3/2025

Casey Makes His Debut

• 1888 — Ernest L. Thayer's iconic baseball poem, Casey at the Bat, was first published in the San Francisco Examiner under the pen name "Phin." It would go on to become one of the best-known poems in American literature. Read the original here, and watch Garrison Keillor’s adaptation here.