Grand Slam (baseball)
In the sport of baseball, a grand slam is a home run hit with all three bases occupied by baserunners ("bases loaded"), thereby scoring four runs—the most possible in one play. According to The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of contract bridge, in which a grand slam involves taking all the possible tricks. The word slam, by itself, usually is connected with a loud sound, particularly of a door being closed with excess force; thus, slamming the door on one's opponent(s). The term was extended to various sports, such as golf and tennis, for sweeping a sport's major tournaments.
Read more about Grand Slam (baseball): Notable Highlights, World Series, Other Major League Postseason Grand Slams, All-star Game, Career Grand Slam Leaders, Single-season Grand Slam Leaders
Famous quotes containing the words grand and/or slam:
“I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.”
—John Adams (1735–1826)
“You slam a politician, you make out he’s the devil, with horns and hoofs. But his wife loves him, and so did all his mistresses.”
—Pamela Hansford Johnson (1912–1981)