Last time on the greatest walk-off home runs of all-time, we took our DeLoreans back to the year 1881, when Roger Connor hit the first grand slam in big league history. This week, we will travel a little closer to home, especially for this writer. The Atlanta Braves have had a lot of big moments in their 150-plus years as a franchise. However, the home run we must cover in this installment is one of the biggest. It would not be a stretch to say that it ranks up there with Eddie Rosario’s heroics in Game 6 of the 2021 NLCS and Sid Bream’s famous slide. Each moment is humongous and helps the Braves advance further in the postseason. But the moment in the following story was in just another regular season game.
In a funny way, though, that’s what makes it so timeless. It didn’t do anything to help the team win a world championship or a division title. What it did was propel a 30-year-old journeyman infielder from San Diego to immediate celebrity status in the city of Atlanta. It also took a Cincinnati Reds pitching staff that relied on their offense to pick up the slack and caused them to give up ten runs for the sixth time in only a month and a half of the season. This, then, is the story of Brooks Conrad’s most famous home run…and, arguably, the biggest grand slam in Braves history.
The 15 Greatest Walk-Off Home Runs: #14
(#14: Brooks Conrad-May 20, 2010)
(Overall Score: 17)
The 2010 Braves were not known for their offensive firepower. Indeed, the team finished with middling numbers, at best. They were 11th in homers, sixth in hits, sixth in average, ninth in slugging, 10th in total bases, and finished with a team OPS+, one point above the league average. Brian McCann, Jason Heyward, and Martin Prado were the lone bright spots. Other than that, an aging Troy Glaus managed 16 homers, and Chipper Jones had, by his standards, a somewhat negative campaign. So, this was a team that relied heavily on its pitching staff, and young hurler Tommy Hanson was at the top of that particular list. He also made the start of this story.
On the flip side, the 2010 Reds had, by many accounts, the best offense in the National League. They finished first in average, slugging, OPS, total bases, homers, hits, and runs scored. That year’s MVP, Joey Votto, hit .324 while crushing 37 homers and posting a 1.024 OPS. He was supported by Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs, and Scott Rolen, all of whom had 20 or more homers. Brandon Phillips and the catching duo of Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan put a bow on this particular package through their small ball efforts. That being said, the pitching was questionable, and the offense had to cover for many holes. On this day, mid-rotation man Mike Leake was given the ball.
A Bad Start For The Braves
An uneventful first inning bled into massive trouble for Atlanta in the second. Hanson began by giving up a base hit to Hernandez, followed by back-to-back outs. Then, Leake poked a single through the middle of the infield, and the wheels fell off. Hanson allowed the following eight men to reach, with the same number of runs scoring. The highlight of this offensive outburst was a Votto grand slam to put the Reds up 5-0. So, this story of one of the greatest walk-off home runs begins like many other comeback stories. One team experiences a lot of misery while the other begins celebrating in the middle of the second inning. Fortunately for Braves fans, baseball games have nine such frames.
On a side note, the Braves bullpen is worth mentioning. Over 7 1/3 innings, Jesse Chavez, Jonny Venters, and Craig Kimbrel combined to allow only one more Reds player to cross home plate. They scattered eight baserunners and struck out seven. So, a bullpen that was well known for its ability to shut thunderous opposing offenses down lived up to its billing. This created an opportunity for the Braves bats to go to work. By the time the ninth inning rolled around, they had managed to push across three runs. But, they were still trailing by six, and Reds reliever Mike Lincoln had set down six in a row.
The Ninth Inning
The Braves got going quickly in their half of the ninth, loading the bases via three consecutive hits. Then, Nate McLouth roped a fourth straight hit into the right field corner. This scored Glaus and Eric Hinske to make it 9-5. Reds manager Dusty Baker decided to go to his bullpen and called on Nick Masset, who promptly walked David Ross. Then, Prado got on when Miguel Cairo couldn’t handle a hotly smashed ground ball in his direction. Yunel Escobar came in to score, and the bases remained loaded with hotshot rookie Heyward coming to the plate.
Usually, this story of one of the greatest walk-off home runs would end with Heyward as the hero. However, new Reds pitcher Arthur Rhodes managed to strike him out. Once more, Baker went to his bullpen and called on eventual 40-save man Francisco Cordero to try and get a pinch-hitting Conrad out. Even though Cordero was a bit removed from his prime as a closer for the Texas Rangers, he could still match wits with the best bullpen arms in the game. He also did not give up home runs. In fact, in over 820 career innings, he only allowed 64 homers. So, it seemed like it was a foregone conclusion. But Conrad had other ideas, as he served up a Cordero pitch that bounced off Laynce Nix’s glove and into the stands, giving the Braves a dramatic, exhilarating 10-9 victory.
Main Photo Credits: Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
