OFF THE WALL

A little something on baseball, Tatis

Like baseball fans, the MLB Network is a little starved for content these days, as you can imagine, so late Friday night, they rolled out a show titled “Epic Innings of the 1990s.”

And as you also can imagine, a guy hitting two grand slams in one inning is part of that show.

Yes, Fernando Tatis Sr., with a shock of dyed orange hair on one side, was one of the highlights. And if you’ve never seen it, you should probably search the web and watch it. His sweet swing reminds OTW of someone else we have seen recently, but we just can’t pit a finger on it.

MLB wisely used Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully’s call, even though Tatis played for the St. Louis Cardinals on this day, April 23, 1999.

A lot of things have to go right for a player to even get a crack at one grand slam, let alone two. To set up the first slam, Mark Mcgwire, with two on, hit a check-swing single to load the bases with no outs in the third inning, L.A. up 2-0.

Up steps Tatis. And the beauty of Scully comes out — he already imagined a grand slam before Tatis hit it.

As the ball was flying deep toward the left-field bullpen, Scully says, “Oh, did Tatis tattoo ... grand slam home run and it is 4-2 St. Louis.”

Did we mention that the grand slam was off Dodgers right-hander Chan Ho Park? Unfortunately for Park, so was the second one, left in the game by napping Dodgers manager Davey Johnson.

After several more runners reached with one out and three more runs in, Mcgwire again

comes up, this time with the bases loaded. Fly ball to medium right field for out two, with the runners staying put, especially since Cards pitcher Jose Jimenez is on third and Raul Mondesi, with his cannon of an arm, makes the catch.

That again sets the stage. “Has anyone ever hit two grand slams in one inning? I would doubt it very, very much,” Scully says. “Wouldn’t even bother to look it up.

“Remember Tony Cloninger, a pitcher with the Braves ... had two grand slams in a game against the Giants (July 3, 1966). Cardinals PR, doesn’t think that the Cardinals have ever had two grand slams in an inning, let alone by one man . ...

“It’s a tough night for Chan Ho, a nightmare. Look at that (graphic), 85 pitches, and we’re only in the third inning.”

Tatis then hit Park’s 88th pitch, on a 3-2 count, deep into the night at Chavez Ravine.

Scully: “Breaking ball, deep into left-center ... We might see something historic ... two grand slams by the same player in the same inning. Whoa, now that is something to remember . ...

“You know every time I come to the ballpark, I think, ‘You know over these years, I guess I’ve seen everything.’ Wrong.”

Trivia question

Mondesi was in right field. Todd Hollandsworth in center. Who was the Dodgers’ left fielder, the guy who saw Tatis’ two homers go over his head?

He said it

From Dwight Perry of The Seattle Times: “A cargo ship packed with luxury cars caught fire and is aimlessly adrift in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Sort of the nautical equivalent of the L.A. Lakers.”

Trivia answer Six years after his short stint in San Diego, Gary Sheffield was the Dodgers’ left fielder.