Ventura Slams Way to Record

In the Year of the Grand Slam, Robin Ventura did something that had never before been done.

Ventura became the first major leaguer to hit grand slams in both games of a doubleheader, leading the New York Mets to a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers, 11-10 and 10-1, on Thursday night at New York.

“You go up and think this can’t happen again,” Ventura said. “Grand slams don’t happen that often because you don’t get that many situations.”

Ventura, one of the game’s all-time best hitters with the bases loaded, got all the chances he needed--one in each game.

He hit his first slam against Jim Abbott in the first inning of the opener. He hit a 3-2 pitch high down the right-field line, just over the outstretched glove of Jeromy Burnitz.

“As he went up I said to [coach] Bruce Benedict, ‘It is the year of the grand slam, how about us getting one,’ ” Met Manager Bobby Valentine said. “Two pitches later, Robin hit one.”

The second was nearly a replica. Steve Woodard (3-4) hit John Olerud to load the bases. Woodard was replaced by Horacio Estrada, who was making his major league debut.

Estrada’s debut became historic. He fell behind Ventura 1-0 and then threw three tough curveballs that Ventura fouled off. After Estrada missed with two more pitches, Ventura hit another high fly to nearly the same spot in right, but Burnitz could only watch as it cleared the wall.

Ventura also became the first player ever to twice hit two grand slams in a day. He had two slams in a game for the Chicago White Sox at Texas on Sept. 4, 1995. Ten players have done it once.

Chicago 6, Atlanta 5--Sammy Sosa homered again, connecting against struggling Greg Maddux, and the Cubs won in 12 innings at Atlanta.

Lance Johnson’s sacrifice fly gave the Cubs their fourth consecutive victory. Atlanta, which had won four in a row, sent the game into extra innings on Gerald Williams’ ninth-inning homer.

Sosa hit his fourth home run in four games, and ninth in 15. His solo shot in the first inning was his 13th homer of the season.

Maddux was spared losing his fourth consecutive start. Still, the four-time Cy Young winner was stuck with a 5.02 earned-run average.

Maddux gave up eight hits--including consecutive homers by Sosa and Mark Grace--before getting an out in the fourth inning. Overall, he gave up five runs and nine hits in seven innings.

Maddux has given up a major league-high 88 hits in 57 1/3 innings and opponents are batting .351 against him.

After starting the season 4-0 for the first time in his career, Maddux has given up 22 runs and 45 hits in his last four starts, a span of 24 1/3 innings.

Florida 4, Pittsburgh 3--Derrek Lee singled home the winning run in the 14th inning at Miami as the Marlins ended their 11-game home losing streak.

Cliff Floyd drew a leadoff walk from Mike Williams (1-1) and moved up on Kevin Orie’s groundout. After Mark Kotsay was intentionally walked, Lee hit a line drive into right-center.

Colorado 8, Arizona 4--Kurt Abbott, who had three hits all season, went three for four with his first homer to lead the Rockies at Denver.