Miami Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. became the second player since 1900 to both hit a grand slam and steal three bases as part of an 11-5 win against the Atlanta Braves (box score), according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Chisholm waited until the second half of the contest to get busy. He stole his first base during the bottom of the fifth inning against Braves reliever Jackson Stephens. Chisholm then stole his second and third bags in the bottom of the seventh of a tied contest. Those came against lefty A.J. Minter.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the @Marlins are getting their #SeptemberBaseball on! pic.twitter.com/MJk0AgumdF
— MLB (@MLB) September 16, 2023
The exclamation point from Chisholm came during the bottom of the eighth, when he launched a grand slam against Michael Tonkin. The Marlins had been ahead by a 7-5 margin at the time. Chisholm's blast put the game out of reach.
Chisholm, 25, entered Saturday hitting .251/.296/.446 (99 OPS+) with 16 home runs, 40 RBI and 19 stolen bases (on 22 attempts). His contributions have been worth an estimated 1.2 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference's calculations. It's worth noting that number is skewed by negative defensive marks, the byproduct of him essentially learning to play center field on the fly.
Former All-Star outfielder Mike Cameron was previously the only player to accomplish the feat. Cameron pulled it off versus the Toronto Blue Jays on May 16, 2002 as a member of the Seattle Mariners.
The Marlins' victory keeps them in the thick of the National League wild-card race. Miami entered Saturday 0.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Cincinnati Reds for the third and final wild-card spot. The Marlins are attempting to make the playoffs in a 162-game season for the first time since 2003. (The Marlins did make the expanded postseason as part of the pandemic-altered 2020 season.)
