Kody Clemens Achieves The Ultimate Ultimate Grand Slam

Some time ago, if you asked me for an example of the most romantic, childhood dream–ass achievement for a baseball player, I probably would have pointed to Bryson Stott’s home run against the Miami Marlins in the 2023 NL Wild Card series: a first-pitch grand slam with the crowd singing his walk-up song. But if we’re being objective, there are a few flaws with the moment. The Philly crowd was singing, but it wasn’t a game-winning grand slam, even if it was the dagger. The Phillies were already up three runs. This moment was surely romantic, but maybe the question should be reframed: What would be the most mathematically comprehensive achievement for a baseball player?

The ultimate grand slam is one answer. It’s not just a walk-off grand slam, but a perfectly precise one, with the trailing team down three runs in the bottom of the deciding inning, and the grand slam providing no more runs than needed to lead to instant victory. The definition of an ultimate grand slam came up recently, on June 10, when Bryce Eldridge of the San Francisco Giants hit one with no one out in the bottom of the ninth, sealing an 11-10 win over the Washington Nationals. Depending on how you count it, he became the 33rd or 32nd player to ever achieve the feat. Stathead has 31 players before Eldridge. However, the MLB.com SEO post for every ultimate grand slam in Major League history has 32 before him. The difference between the statistics is Roberto Clemente’s inside-the-parker in 1956 against the Chicago Cubs. (That MLB.com post has been regularly updated since 2019, and for the past few versions has kept the lede as “It’s never over until it’s over — just ask the [last team to hit an ultimate grand slam].”)

On Thursday, Kody Clemens of the Minnesota Twins offered an even more improbable grand slam—an ultimate ultimate grand slam, one might say. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth against the Kansas City Royals, Clemens came up to bat with two outs and found himself quickly down in an 0-2 count. Then, as Royals pitcher Matt Strahm left a 83-mph slider in the zone, Clemens ripped it to right-center field for the first-ever ultimate grand slam on an 0-2 count. (To be comprehensive, the counts of several earlier grand slams are unknown on Stathead, and there were three other ultimate grand slams that took place on two strikes and two outs.) The moment was about as romantic as a regular-season game against the Kansas City Royals can be.