A grand slam is one of those moments in baseball that fans wish they could see every time they go to a game.
Any time the bases are loaded, every mighty swing the player up to bat performs temporarily takes onlookers from the edge of their seats to an inch or so off it, preparing to lunge forward when the bat makes contact with a down-the-middle fastball to get a better view of the ball traveling over the wall.
There aren’t many better moments in baseball, especially with the game on the line. LSU previously tied a seemingly sure loss against South Carolina last weekend with a Gavin Dugas grand slam in the top of the eighth, a game which it ultimately won.
In the world of baseball, what’s better than a grand slam?
Well, what’s better than one?
The last time LSU hit two grand slams in one game, Houston Astro star Alex Bregman was on the roster. He contributed one of those grand slams, one of his two home runs on the day, and catcher Tyler Moore contributed the other one, as the Tigers routed Northwestern State 27-0.
That occurred on May 13, 2014, nearly 9 years ago.
This time around, the game wasn’t quite as much of a rout, though it did appear to be heading that way.
From the get-go, Kentucky pitcher Zach Hise could not get it together. He hit Gavin Dugas and intentionally walked Dylan Crews before giving up a Tommy White double that gave him two RBIs and the Tigers a two-run lead. A few rough at-bats later and the bases were loaded with Jordan Thompson up to bat.
After entering the South Carolina series with just two home runs on the season, Thompson had back-to-back-to-back games where he hit one. According to him, nothing about his mechanics had changed.
“I think it’s more of the approach thing really, like not letting the pitch go by,” Thompson said. “I feel like there were times earlier in the season where I was fouling that pitch straight back and I don’t know, I’m really just as surprised as everyone else is.”
For a pitcher that was already struggling, this was the worst-case scenario. After pitching one ball, Hise sent a fast ball down the middle. Thompson found the bottom of the ball and sent it deep into left centerfield, earning him a home run in his fourth straight game and giving the Tigers a six-run lead.
“He’s been swinging the ball really good and that was a great swing,” head coach Jay Johnson said on Thompson’s home run. “I mean the homer will catch your attention, but that was a high-level swing.”
LSU would load the bases again in the second inning, mostly thanks to struggles from Hise and the Kentucky outfield, with Hise hitting two batters and Kentucky attributing a fielding error. Tre’ Morgan would score a run off a walk, then Brayden Jobert took the plate.
Along with Thompson, Jobert had been the only other Tiger to hit a home run at Tulane. Essentially, Hise had gotten unlucky twice, picking the most inopportune times to load the bases.
With a 7-1 lead less than two innings into the contest, Jobert stepped up and delivered, sending his grand slam to right field off a 91-mph fast ball. Jobert credited his preparation for giving him the confidence to come through for his team.
“Like I always say, I’m just sticking to my preparation,” Jobert said. “I don’t really build my confidence anymore from results at the plate, I build my confidence from my preparation.”
Jobert’s grand slam would propel the LSU lead to 11-1 and though the Tigers wouldn’t activate the run rule until the eighth inning due to late mini resurgence from Kentucky, that along with Beloso’s three-run home run in the third would keep the contest out of reach until its conclusion.
In terms of rare feats in baseball, it isn’t the rarest. Northern Kentucky player Liam McFadden-Ackman pulled off the feat by himself in one inning this season.
However, he pulled that off against Western Michigan while the Tigers did so against No. 12 Kentucky, a team which sported one of the best overall ERAs in the country heading into the game.
For Thompson, it was a special moment for him and his roommate, Jobert, to pull off a historic feat like this. He was excited when he saw Jobert step up to bat with the bases loaded and even more so when he drilled it.
“When he came up to the plate with the bases loaded, I kind of had a feeling he was going to do something. He’s built for the big moment too,” Thompson said. “We’ll probably be talking about that later. I was super happy for him.”
Each player hit their fifth home run of the season against Tulane. Each hit their sixth against Kentucky. And each cemented themselves in LSU history, at least until another Tiger duo hits two grand slams in a game.
Though it’s unlikely they’ll be roommates.
