Trivia(l) Tidbit Tuesday was moved down the lineup to Wednesday this week due to the combined impact of the Labor Day Weekend, the publication of the lengthy Baseball Roundtable August Wrap Up and my ongoing recovery from COVID. I hope readers are enjoying this weekly presentation of baseball occurrences that for some reason caught The Roundtable’s eye. (I’m particularly fond of unexpected performances or statistical coincidences.) These won’t necessarily be momentous occurrences, just events, statistics or coincidences that grabbed my attention. For longer “Tidbits,” To take a look at previous Trivia(l) Tidbits, just type Trivia(l) into the search box on the right hand side of the page.
Yesterday, The Brewers Willy Adames celebrated his 29th birthday by hitting his 29th homer of the season. It was also his lucky 13th three-run home of the season – tying him with Ken Griffey, Jr. for the most three-run blasts in a single season. Well, that got me thinking about Grand Slam home runs (can’t explain why, that’s just how my mind travels).
My first trivial thought went to in 1987, when Yankee 1B Don Mattingly set the single-season record for Grand Slams (since tied) at six. The Tidbit? Despite a 14-season career that included 163 bases-loaded plate appearances, Mattingly did not hit another Grand Slam before or after those record-setting six.
Still, that did not seem “out there” enough for this feature. So, I was drawn to 1961, when – with Yankee sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris dominating headlines in their chase of Babe Ruth’s record 60 home runs in a season – Jim Gentile of the Orioles quietly put up quite a season of his own. Gentile hit .302, with 46 home runs and a league-topping 141 RBI. He also tied the MLB record and set a new AL mark (both since broken) for Grand Slams in a season with five bases-loaded long balls.
The Trivia(l) Tidbit? Orioles’ right-handed starter Chuck Estrada was the sole beneficiary of Gentile’s 1961 offensive outburst – every one of Gentile’s record-tying five four-run blasts was hit in a game started by Estrada. Further, Gentile hit only one other Grand Slam in his career (June 26, 1960) and – you guessed it – the starting and winning pitcher in that contest was Chuck Estrada.
For those of you who like a little more – Don’t baseball fans always want that next fact or stat? – here’s some background. Gentile was in the majors with the Dodgers (1957-58), Orioles (1960-63), A’s (1964-65), Astros (1965-66) and Indians (1966). In nine MLB campaigns, he was an All Star in three seasons (1960-61-62) and 1961 was his best year. His career stat line was .260-179-549.
Estrada’s best season was his rookie year (1960) with the Orioles, when the 22-year-old led the AL with 18 wins (11 losses and a 3.58 ERA). He finished second in the AL rookie of the Year balloting to his Orioles’ teammate, shortstop Ron Hansen, who hit .255, with 22 home runs and 86 RBI. Estrada was an All Star in just one season – his rookie campaign – in a career that saw him win 50 and lose 44, with a 4.04 ERA. He pitched for the Orioles (1960-64), Cubs (1966) and Mets (1967).
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