BOSTON — The grand slam is the most productive offensive play in baseball, the equivalent of a touchdown and two-point conversion in football, or a four-point play in basketball.
They are not exceedingly rare, but the Boston Red Sox managed only three of them in the 162-game regular season. Then came the American League Championship Series.
Over the last two games of the series — in a span of only 11 innings — the Red Sox hit three grand slams to establish a record for most bases-loaded homers in a postseason series. Kyle Schwarber did the honors in the second inning on Monday to propel Boston to a 12-3 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 3 of the A.