MJ Melendez hit a grand slam after a 12-pitch battle at the plate. Seth Lugo earned his 10th win of the season for the Royals, who defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 7-2 on Saturday night. Yoshinobu Yamamoto had to leave the game early after pitching only two innings due to tightness in his triceps.
“I connected with it pretty well, although I didn’t feel like I hit it perfectly,” Melendez remarked. “Since this was my first time playing here this weekend, I wasn’t sure how the ball would carry. I was thrilled when it cleared the wall.”
Kansas City loaded the bases with three consecutive walks issued by Blake Treinen. Melendez battled through six fouls with a 2-2 count before working it full when Treinen threw an inside cutter.
On the next pitch, Treinen (2-1) opted for another cutter, which Melendez drove over the right-field fence for his first career grand slam, giving the Royals a 5-2 lead.
Baseball Reference notes that since 1970, this is only the second instance of a grand slam on a full count with at least 12 pitches in the at-bat. The first was in 2018 when Mookie Betts hit a grand slam on the 13th pitch against J.A. Happ of the Toronto Blue Jays.
“The pitcher threw a lot of pitches that inning, so I was able to capitalize towards the end of the at-bat. Perhaps he wasn’t as sharp as he was against other hitters,” Melendez commented on facing Treinen.
