With his sixth-inning grand slam in Washington Tuesday, Braves pitcher Huascar Ynoa became the first pitcher in Atlanta history to homer in back-to-back games.
Ynoa hit a home run off a Kyle Hendricks curveball in the fourth inning of a 10-0 win April 28. It was the first homer by a Braves pitcher since losing the universal designated hitter.
That hit came as a bit of a surprise to manager Brian Snitker, who relayed, “When we first started hitting in spring training, he was whiffing on balls in soft toss.”
Here are five things to know about the momentous slam:
-The 95-mph fastball from Washington’s Tanner Rainey traveled 427 feet to straightaway center with an exit velocity of 107.4 mph off the bat, according to Statcast.
-On the mound, Ynoa is 3-1 with a 2.36 ERA in six starts. Batters are hitting .185 against him. At the plate, Ynoa is 5-for-8 with two homers, a double, six RBIs and three runs scored. He boasts a .385 batting average.
-The last Braves pitcher to hit a grand slam was Jaime Garcia — against the Dodgers on July 21, 2017. Some trivia: Garcia and catcher Anthony Recker were traded to the Twins three days later for ... Ynoa.
-More trivia: It’s the first time in 71 years that a pitcher hit a grand slam in one game and a pitcher in a different game had three hits. (White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease went 3-for-3 in Cincinnati Tuesday night.)
-Last bit of trivia: Two other Braves pitchers hit home runs in back-to-back games. Lew Burdette and Warren Spahn accomplished the feat in June 1961, when the team still played in Milwaukee.
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