The Miami Marlins have two grand slam home runs this season and Bahamian Jasrado ‘Jazz’ Chisholm Jr. has both of them, with both coming in the last two days against the Atlanta Braves.
Chisholm hit a four-run four-bagger for the second day in a row on Sunday, and the Marlins slammed the Braves for the second day in a row, winning 16-2 at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.
The Bahamian clean-up batter for the Marlins got a hold of a 95.8 miles per hour (mph) fastball from Braves’ starter Charlie Morton in the bottom of the third inning and deposited it over the right center field wall to give his team a 5-0 lead and they never looked back.
They went on win comfortably over the league-leading Braves, sweeping the three-game weekend series, and it came on the same weekend in which Chisholm’s local baseball league was launched here in New Providence, The Bahamas.
As far as the home run on Sunday is concerned, it was his third career grand slam, first in back-to-back days, and it matched Chisholm’s career high of 18 home runs. He is batting .256 for the season with those 18 home runs, 48 RBIs (runs batted in) and 45 runs scored.
Chisholm was sitting on a fastball and got it across the middle of the plate on the first pitch of the at-bat. He jumped all over it to give the Marlins a comfortable lead in the bottom of the third on Sunday. Coming into the at-bat, he was batting .348 with two home runs against Morton and padded those numbers with that blast yesterday.
Chisholm finished with that grand slam home run in two at-bats, drove in four and scored four times in a game for the first time in his career. He was walked three times, also a career high. It’s the fifth time this season and sixth time in his career that he has gone deep on consecutive days.
On Saturday, the Marlins won 11-5 following a 9-6 win on Friday. Chisholm was 1-for-4 with a run scored on Friday and finished 2-for-3 with his grand slam, four RBIs and a run scored on Saturday. His grand slam in the eighth inning on Saturday gave the Marlins an 11-5 lead and they went on to win by that same score.
Chisholm also became just the second player in 123 years to both hit a grand slam and steal three bases in a game, accomplishing the feat on Saturday. The only other player to accomplish that feat since 1900 is former all-star outfielder Mike Cameron, who pulled it off for the Seattle Mariners against the Toronto Blue Jays in 2002.
Chisholm is also the only player in Marlins’ history to hit grand slam home runs in back-to-back days.
It was just Wednesday when Chisholm was taken out of the game against the Milwaukee Brewers, suffering from knee discomfort in trying to beat out a play at first base. He missed Thursday’s game against the Brewers and came back to have a historic series against the Braves over the weekend, highlighted by his two grand slam home runs.
Chisholm also has 22 stolen bases this season, one short of his career high in that department, and is now just two home runs short of a 20-20 season. He has an on-base percentage of .311, a slugging percentage of .468 and an on-base plus slugging percentage of .779.
With the win, Chisholm and the Marlins also moved into playoff position, regardless of the outcome of the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Arizona Diamondbacks Sunday night. Five teams, including the Marlins, Cubs, Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants are separated by just three games in a battle for the final two wild card spots in the National League playoffs of Major League Baseball (MLB).
At the end of Sunday, the Marlins occupied one of the two spots, but just by percentage points. The Braves, the team the Marlins swept in Miami over the weekend, have the league’s best record and have already clinched the National League East Division. They have a 96-52 win/loss record.
With two weeks remaining in the season, every game is vital. Chisholm and the Marlins host the New York Mets and the Brewers this week before going on the road to end the season against the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Bahamian star baseball player suffered from various injuries this season, but when healthy, he has proven to be one of the most exciting and dynamic young players in the league. The 25-year-old center field is optimistic that he will be in the lineup for the remainder of the season, trying to help the Marlins get into the playoffs. He had a strong series against the Braves, going 4-for-9 with two grand slam home runs, eight RBIs and six runs scored.
The Marlins are looking to advance to the postseason for the second time in four years, following up on their appearance in the bubble in 2020. It would also be just the fourth time in the playoffs in their 31-year existence.
