Revisit the San Francisco Giants’ Eight Grand Slams in 2015
Aug 27, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants infielder Kelby Tomlinson (37) is congratulated by catcher Buster Posey (28) after hitting a grand slam against the Chicago Cubs in the eighth inning at AT&T Park. The Giants defeated the Cubs 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Where did this kid come from?
Filling in for the injured Joe Panik, Tomlinson has quickly become a fan favorite amongst the Giants’ faithful, as the bespectacled second baseman continues to come through in big moments.
On August 27th, against the Chicago Cubs and their left-hander James Russell, Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon opted to work around the batter in front of Tomlinson, issuing a free pass to load the bases. That’s a big no-no.
Tomlinson was behind in a 1-2 count, and Russell threw him a curveball that hung a little too much. Tomlinson put a great swing on it, and muscled it out over the left field wall as the crowd at AT&T Park went wild for their newcomer. His first big league home run couldn’t have come in a bigger spot. The home run was complemented by Tomlinson’s endless smile, the curtain call he received, and the standing ovation as he took the field after the inning.
As if that’s not enough, Tomlinson would hit a walk-off single in the ninth inning the next night. Disney couldn’t have written it up any better.
Next: Welcome to San Francisco, Old Man