Between The Lines

Bombs Away I. Red Sox catcher Mike Macfarlane's grand slam against the A's last Saturday was the 101st bases-loaded home run hit in the majors this season, breaking the record set in the juiced-ball season of 1987. The night before, the Phils' Jeff Juden became the third National League pitcher this year to hit a grand slam (a league record), joining the Marlins' Chris Hammond and the Pirates' Denny Neagle. The Padres have the most slams this year—nine, by eight different players—tying the National League mark set by the '29 Cubs.

Bombs Away II. It was Swingers Night in the National League last Friday, when a total of 101 runs scored (including 19 by the Reds and 17 by the Phillies) on 145 hits in the seven games. There were 18 home runs among the 50 extra-base hits, and seven players had four or more RBIs. First baseman Gregg Jefferies became the first Phillie in 32 years to hit for the cycle, with a home run, a triple, a single and a double in his first four at bats. Also, leadoff hitters Bernard Gilkey of the Cardinals and Trenidad Hubbard of the Rockies both hit a home run in the first inning of the same game. The last time two National League leadoff men did that was in 1986, when Jeff Stone of Philadelphia and Curt Ford of St. Louis did it.

Three of a Kind. Since 1950, there has been only one American League team that had three outfielders who all hit over .300 (minimum 300 at bats)—the 1988 Yankees, with Dave Winfield (.322), Claudell Washington (.308) and Rickey Henderson (.305). This year, three teams have a shot at it: the Angels ( Garret Anderson, Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon), the Indians ( Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez) and the Red Sox ( Mike Greenwell, Troy O'Leary, Lee Tinsley). At week's end, with the exception of Tinsley (.295), all of those players were hitting over .301.