SAN DIEGO, CA – AUGUST 20: Eric Hosmer #30 of the San Diego Padres, right, is congratulated by Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 after hitting a grand slam during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers at Petco Park on August 20, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)
The Padres became the first team in MLB history with a grand slam in four straight games on Thursday.
The San Diego Padres just can’t stop hitting grand slams.
Already the first team in 125 years with a grand slam in three straight games, Eric Hosmer made sure the Padres stand alone in the record books during Thursday’s game against the Texas Rangers at Petco Park. Hosmer extended the Padres’ streak to four consecutive games with a bases-clearing blast off Rangers’ starter Kyle Gibson, bringing home Austin Hedges, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado to give the Padres a 5-2 lead.
The Padres are now on the longest streak of hitting grand slams in MLB history. They were already the first club to hit one in three straight since the 1895 Cleveland Spiders. Hosmer’s home run was the Padres’ fifth grand slam of the season; the rest of the National League combined has four. It was his third career grand slam and second since joining the Padres; he also hit one last Aug. 4 against the Dodgers.
The streak began on Monday with a frank discussion of baseball’s unwritten rules. Tatis Jr’s grand slam on a 3-0 pitch, while the Padres were leading by seven runs, caused Rangers manager Chris Woodward to speak out about what he thought was a violation of those rules; Rangers pitcher Ian Gibaut retaliated by throwing behind the next batter, Machado, earning himself a three-game suspension while Woodward was suspended one game.
Wil Myers hit one on Tuesday in the first inning, while Machado added to the streak in dramatic fashion on Wednesday with a walk-off home run to give the Padres a 6-3 win. All of the Padres grand slams during the streak have come against the Rangers.
The grand slam streak is part of a power surge in San Diego. The Padres came into Thursday’s game second in the league with 45 home runs, four behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tatis Jr. leads the league with 12 home runs. Currently on a three-game winning streak and 14-12 on the season, the Padres are in second place in the NL West, 4.5 games behind the Dodgers.