So, the other day, I was just fiddling around, you know, scrolling through stuff, and Fernando Tatis Jr.’s name popped up. Good player, flashy. But it got me thinking about his dad, Fernando Tatis Sr. And specifically, that one absolutely bonkers thing he did.
I remembered hearing about it years ago – hitting two grand slams in the same inning. Sounds impossible, right? Like something out of a video game on easy mode. I decided, right then, I needed to actually look into this properly. Not just recall the headline, but get the feel for it.
Diving In
First thing, I went straight to my trusty old search engine. Typed in something like “fernando tatis sr two grand slams one inning”. Simple enough.
Okay, so the results started flooding in. April 23, 1999. St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. Got the basic facts down. But I wanted more than just the date and teams.
- I started digging for box scores. Found one. Yep, third inning.
- Then I looked for game recaps, old newspaper articles maybe. Found a few wire reports from back then. They were all pretty amazed, obviously.
- The really wild part I zeroed in on: both grand slams were off the same pitcher. Chan Ho Park. Man, you gotta feel for the guy. Imagine being that pitcher.
Going Down the Rabbit Hole
Finding out it was the same pitcher really stuck with me. I spent a good twenty minutes just thinking about Chan Ho Park. What was going through his head? Did the manager even think about pulling him after the first one? Probably not, bases loaded again scenario is tough. Still, rough day at the office for him.
I tried finding video footage. Found some grainy clips. It wasn’t like today’s HD broadcasts, that’s for sure. But you could see the swings, see the ball go out, see the guys rounding the bases. Twice. In one inning. It still felt unreal watching it, even knowing it happened.
It’s funny how baseball works. You have these moments that just defy logic. Eight RBIs in one inning. Off one guy. It’s a record that feels like it’ll stand forever. Who’s gonna get the chance, let alone pull it off?
Wrapping Up Thoughts
So yeah, that was my little trip down memory lane, sparked by his son. I didn’t really do anything physical, just sat and read and watched. But it felt like a good exercise. Sometimes you just gotta revisit these weird bits of history, you know? Reminds you that strange stuff happens.
Ended up appreciating Tatis Sr. a bit more, not just as “Tatis Jr.’s dad,” but as the guy who did the impossible. And spared a thought for Chan Ho Park. What a sport.
