Boston Red Sox: Top three-home run games
By Sean Penney
Bill Mueller
July 29, 2003
Batting in the bottom third of the order doesn’t typically come with much recognition, but in a lineup as loaded as the 2003 Red Sox you could afford to have a hitter of Mueller’s caliber that far down in the order.
Mueller’s three-homer game was monumental for a couple of reasons. Not only did two of those home runs come with the bases loaded, but the switch-hitter became the first major league player to hit a grand slam from each side of the plate in the same game.
His first homer put Boston on the board in the third inning with a solo shot against knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey, then of the Texas Rangers.
Mueller’s first grand slam came in the 7th inning. He switched over to the right side of the plate to face the lefty reliever Aaron Fultz, then belted a 2-2 pitch to straightaway left field to put the Red Sox up 9-4.
By the time Mueller got up again in the 8th, the Rangers had sent right-hander Jay Powell to the mound for mop-up duty. This prompted Mueller to switch back to the left side of the plate, where he connected for his third home run and second grand slam of the game.
Mueller would go on to win the batting title that season with a .326 average, playing a key role for a Red Sox team that won 95 games and advanced to the postseason as the AL Wild Card.
Next: Ted Williams