Tagged: Jacoby Ellsbury

Yanks hit 3 grand slams in demolition of A’s

New York's Curtis Granderson is all smiles after his 8th inning grand slam, and deservedly so -- his 36 homers, 103 RBI, 24 steals, and 119 runs scored have him at the front of the AL MVP race.

The New York Yankees became the first team in Major League Baseball history to hit three grand slams in a single game as they took the Oakland Athletics to the woodshed in a 22-9 romp. Robinson Cano started the onslaught with a slam in the fifth. Russell Martin followed with a grand salami of his own the next inning. Finally, Curtis Granderson padded his AL MVP resume with a bases loaded bomb in the eighth. Granderson’s five runs batted in gave him a season total of 103 — the most in all of baseball. His grand slam was his 36th long ball of the year, one shy of Toronto’s Jose Bautista for the Major League lead. The slick center fielder also boasts 20 doubles, 10 triples, and 24 stolen bases; he also has a monstrous lead in runs scored (119), with the next closest competitor, Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury, trailing by a whopping 26 runs (93).

While Milwaukee’s fearsome duo of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder battle it out for the NL MVP, Granderson seems to be the AL favorite — but Ellsbury, Bautista, and Adrian Gonzalez all have legitimate shots as well.

Ryan Braun has 30-30 season within reach

Ryan Braun (24 home runs, 28 stolen bases) could become only the second player in franchise history to join the 30-30 club.

The 30-30 club is nothing to scoff at. It’s an elite grouping of players who possess the talent to both bash the ball over the bleachers as well as swipe steals with blazing speed. The 30-30 club has seen its members increase over time, and 34 players have reached the plateau for a total of 54 magical seasons. Since 2000, there have been sixteen 30-30 seasons, however no one accomplished the feat last year. Smacking 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases in the same season is something that no Milwaukee Brewer has done since 1970 — when Tommy Harper hit 31 homers to go along with 38 stolen bases. Seven years before Harper, Hank Aaron of the Milwaukee Braves crushed 44 homers while stealing 31 bags. Yet that’s where the story ends for the city of Milwaukee. 2011 promises to be different. Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun is looking to become the second Brewer to complete the statistical sensation. Braun currently has 24 home runs and 28 stolen bases and is on pace for 31-35.

Here are the players who have a chance of joining the 30-30 club this season:

Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers: 24 HR, 28 SB

Matt Kemp, CF, Dodgers: 29 HR, 33 SB

Curtis Granderson, CF, Yankees: 35 HR, 24 SB

Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Red Sox: 22 HR, 34 SB

Justin Upton, RF, Diamondbacks: 25 HR, 19 SB

Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers: 21 HR, 21 SB