Baseball Time Machine: Bobby Bonds hits a grand slam in his MLB debut
On June 25, 1968, Bobby Bonds made history at Candlestick Park by becoming the first player in modern MLB history to hit a grand slam in his MLB debut. The Giants entered the game with a 38-33 record, sitting in second place, 6 ½ games behind the Cardinals, while the Dodgers were 36-36 and in fifth place, 9 games back.
The Giants took a 1-0 lead into the 6th inning off Dodgers starter Claude Osteen. Osteen allowed a single to Ron Hunt and a double to Jesus Alou, putting runners at second and third. Willie McCovey was intentionally walked to load the bases for Willie Mays, despite Mays hitting .345 over his previous 15 games. But, McCovey was on a power surge, with eight home runs and 19 RBIs in his last 15 games, batting .362 during that stretch. Mays drew a walk to force in a run, extending the Giants’ lead to 2-0, and Osteen was replaced by John Purdin. Purdin then walked Jim Ray Hart, forcing in another run. After Jack Hiatt struck out, Bonds hit a grand slam to left field, in his 3rd career AB, to make it a 6-0 game.
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The Giants went on to win the game 9-0. Bonds had just been called up from Triple-A Phoenix the previous day, where he had been leading the Pacific Coast League with a .367 average. He started in right field and batted seventh in the lineup. Bonds finished his rookie season hitting .254/.336/.407, .743 OPS, 9 HR, 55 runs, 35 RBI, 16 SB in 81 games.
Bonds was the first player in modern MLB history to hit a grand slam in his MLB debut. Bill Duggleby did for the Phillies in 1998.
Bonds later revealed he had hit 3 grand slams in a month in Triple-A before being called up and that was his 4th grand slam in 6 AB with the bases loaded so far that season.
Bonds has subsequently been overshadowed by his son, but he had a notable career himself. He hit 332 HR, with 461 SB, while slashing .268/.353/.471, 1258 runs and 1024 RBI. Bonds had a .640 career offensive winning percentage while he had 5.96 career RC/27 outs compared to a park adjusted league average of 3.48.
Bonds scored 100 or more runs six times, leading the National League twice (with 120 in 1969 and 131 in 1973), and hit 30 or more home runs six times. He was a three-time All-Star (1971, 1973, and 1975, starting only in 1975) and won three Gold Gloves. His highest Hall of Fame voting percentage was 10.6% in 1993.
COMPLETE LIST OF PLAYERS WHO HIT A GRAND SLAM IN THEIR MLB DEBUTS
Bill Duggleby April 21, 1898 Phillies
Bobby Bonds June 25, 1968 Giants
Jeremy Hermida August 3, 2005 Marlins
Kevin Kouzmanoff Sept. 2, 2006 Indians
Daniel Nava June 12, 2010 Red Sox
Brandon Crawford May 27, 2011 Giants