Robin Ventura’s grand slam that didn’t count in the playoffs is more well-known than the 18 he hit during the regular season that did count.
Twenty-five years after his famous grand slam-single in the 15th inning helped the Mets defeat Atlanta in Game 5 of the NL Championship Series at Shea Stadium, Ventura was at Citi Field on Thursday to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“It gets more mileage not being one, really,” Ventura said. Now 57, the two-time All-Star tossed the pitch to his former Mets teammate Edgardo Alfonzo while fans cheered.
Ventura is tied with Willie McCovey for fifth place in grand slams, behind Alex Rodriguez (25), Lou Gehrig (23), Manny Ramírez (21), and Eddie Murray (19).
The steady third baseman was a key player on the 1999 Mets, who lost the first three games of the NLCS but won Game 4 by a score of 3-2.
New York pushed the series back to Atlanta when Ventura hit a 2-1 fastball from Kevin McGlinchy through heavy rain and over the right-center fence, ending a 5-hour, 46-minute game — then the longest in postseason history.
Ventura, hindered by a hamstring injury, never finished rounding the bases. Todd Pratt, who was on first after a bases-loaded walk that tied the game, lifted Ventura near second base in excitement.
The rest of the Mets surrounded Ventura on the field, and the celebration spilled into the outfield as The Doors’ “L.A. Woman” — a rally song chosen by Ventura — played, while the crowd of 55,723 shook Shea Stadium. After some confusion, official scorer Red Foley explained that only one run counted, and Ventura was credited with a single because he never touched second base.
The game was officially recorded as a 4-3 win for the Mets instead of 7-3. Two days later, Atlanta clinched the pennant in Game 6 by defeating New York 10-9 in 11 innings.
Known for his easy-going personality, Ventura said he’s okay with the unusual grand slam that wasn’t.
“Maybe if that would have been the only one I ever hit,” Ventura said. “But I think just the way that it ended up was a better ending than if I would have run around the bases.”
When asked about Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso hitting their dramatic postseason homers for the Mets this month, Ventura humorously replied, “Run around the bases.”
