The pitcher who hit two grand slams in one game (July 3, 1966)

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1940, 1966, Atlanta Braves, August 13, Bobby Bragan, July 3, Tony Cloniger

Tony Cloninger

Sunday, July 3, 1966…this was the day we should all remember as one of the best performances an Atlanta Braves pitcher has ever had.  The Braves took on the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in an afternoon ball game in front of 27,000 fans.  When the fans

The Braves took on the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park in an afternoon ball game in front of 27,000 fans.  When the fans arrived to the facility, they had no idea what they were about to witness.

The Braves and manager Bobby Bragan sent a young 25-year-old right hander named Tony Cloninger to the mound.  He came into the game with an 8-7 record and a 4.35 ERA and had a .200 batting average.  On this night, he would improve all of those categories.

Cloninger was born on August 13, 1940, in North Carolina and was signed by the Milwaukee Braves as an amateur free agent in 1958.  The righty pitched with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves from 1961-1968, Cincinnati Reds from 1968-1971 and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1972.

It is the first inning. Tony comes to the plate with bases loaded. Tony does the unthinkable and hits a grand slam. Call it a day and go home.

But … Tony is there to pitch and pitch he does.

He comes up again in the fourth. And boom, another grand slam. Cloninger became the first player in the National League, and the only pitcher to date, to hit two grand slams in the same game!!

As the game ended, Cloninger finished his complete game with five strikeouts and picked up his ninth win of the season.  He was the player of the game, going 3-5 with nine RBI’s and a complete-game win on the mound.  The Braves won this match up against the Giants 17-3.

Crazy stat…just five starts prior, Cloninger went 3-5 at the plate with hit two homers and five RBIs.  He also pitched a complete game on this night and only gave up five hits and one run.

One Additional Crazy stat…on Cloninger’s first start of the 1966 season, he threw a complete game 13 innings and gave up 10 hits, three runs, three walks and had 12 strikeouts.  Talk about saving your bullpen.

Source: Atlanta Braves flashback Friday: The pitcher who hit two grand slams in one game

Juan Uribe and Jonny Gomes help lead Braves to 2-1 victory over Phillies (July 3, 2015)

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2015, Atlanta Braves, Jonny Gomes, Juan Uribe, Julio Teheran, July 3

Julio Teheran

Much thanks to Juan Uribe and Jonny Gomes for home runs. Close game but a nice win to keep us on track for the 2015 season. As of July 3, 2015 we are 5 games out of first.

“I wish I could take this feeling and bring it with me,” Teheran said. “I don’t know what’s going on. I’m just happy I did my job today.”

Julio Teheran can’t explain the dramatic gap between his home success and road struggles. It’s a gap which seems to widen with every start.

Juan Uribe hit a tie-breaking homer in the seventh inning, Teheran threw seven strong innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on Friday night.

Teheran (6-4) allowed one unearned run and seven hits in seven innings. He improved to 5-0 with a 2.04 ERA in eight starts at Turner Field. He is 1-4 with a 7.40 ERA in nine road starts.

The Braves only scored two runs tonight, and they both came via the home run. Those two runs ended up being enough for a victory though, as Julio Teheran and company were able to keep the Phillies at bay for a 2-1 victory.

via Juan Uribe and Jonny Gomes help lead Braves to 2-1 victory over Phillies – Talking Chop.

Braves lose 24-2 to the Cubs (July 3, 1945)

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1945, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubs, July 3

At Braves Field in Boston on July 3, 1945‚ the Cubs tally the most runs in their post-1900 history when they blast the Boston Braves, 24-2.

Phil Cavarretta‚ Don Johnson‚ and Stan Hack each score five times tying a major league mark.

Crazy Stats From Braves-Phillies Game 18-13 (May 2, 2012)

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1985, 2012, Alfonso Soriano, Andy Sheets, Atlanta Braves, Brian McCann, Chipper Jones, Evan Logoria, Jason Giambi, July 3, May 2, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Halladay, Walk Off Homer

The May 2, 2012 Atlanta  Braves / Philadelphia Phillie game was crazy.  We won in extra innings. Here are some of the stats.

• It was the highest-scoring extra-inning game in the Major Leagues since 2006.
• It was the highest-scoring extra-inning game in the National League since July 4, 1985, when the Mets outlasted the Braves, 16-13, in 19 innings.
• The only other major-league team in the past 30 years that won a game after rallying from a deficit of at least six runs and overcoming a separate disadvantage of four or more runs was the 1997 Mariners, in a 12-11 victory against the Rockies.
• The last team to lose an 11+ inning game while scoring 13+ was the 116-win 2001 Mariners.
• The last team to win in 11+ innings while scoring 13+ was managed by… Charlie Manuel, tonight’s losing manager.
• This was the Braves’ 4th win since 1918 when allowing 13+ runs, and the 2nd in the last 60 years.
• This was the first game in MLB history to end 15-13 in 11 or more innings (since 1918, anyway).
• Roy Halladay gave up eight runs, the most he had allowed since surrendering nine on May 5, 2007 against the Rangers.
• This is the first time in Halladay’s career that he’s given up more than 6 runs to an NL team.
• Halladay was working with a 6-0 lead when he gave up six runs in the fifth inning and then two more in the sixth. He was 107-0 in his career in starts in which he was given a four-run lead. The Phillies, though, let him off the hook by rallying in the seventh.
• The Braves had 3 bases-loaded hits all year coming into last night. They had 3 bases-loaded hits in the 5th inning of last night’s game… off Roy Halladay.
• Brian McCann hit just the fourth grand slam ever given up by Halladay (Evan Longoria hit the last in 2008).
• The “I Hit A Slam Off Roy Halladay Club”: Evan Longoria, Alfonso Soriano, Andy Sheets, and now Brian McCann.
• That was the first homer allowed by Halladay in six starts this season.
• Chipper Jones and Jason Giambi each hit game-ending home runs on Wednesday. It was the first day in major-league history on which two players age 40 or older hit walk-off homers.
• Never before had two men, each with at least 400 career home runs to their credit, hit walk-off round-trippers on the same day.
• Jones’s walkoff was his first since May 17, 2006 against the Marlins. It was the eighth of his career.

Chipper hits the walk off!

Tony Cloninger hits 2 grand slams (July 3, 1966)

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1966, Atlanta Braves, Candlestick Park, Grand Slam, July 3, San Francisco Giants, Tony Cloninger

Tony Cloninger

In a 17-3 rout of the Giants on July 3, 1966, Tony Cloninger hits two grand slams in the same game and collects nine RBI’s in the Candlestick Park contest.

The Braves’ pitcher is the first National league player to hit two home runs with the bases full in the same game.

Tony was also the opening day pitcher for the first game of the Atlanta Braves after they moved from Milwaukee. They lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2-3.

Fred Tenney (1894-1907, 1911)

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1894, 1907, 1911, Frank Selee, Fred Tenney, July 3, November 26

Fred Tenney

Fred Tenney played for the Braves when they were know as the Beaneaters, Doves and Rustlers (1894-1907, 1911).

He was a first baseman, outfielder, catcher and pitcher. Clearly very versatile.

He was born in Georgetown, Massachusetts on November 26, 1871 and passed away on July 3, 1952.

He batted and threw as a lefty.

He was truly one of the pioneers in the early years of the game. He was also an amazing first baseman. The Beaneaters great manager, Frank Selee had already won 3 pennants when he spotted Fred. In that day, he was a pretty rare prospect as a left handed catcher.

But Selee could spot talent and Tenney would help him win two more pennants and a place in history as the greatest team in the 1890’s.