On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals continued their hot streak, winning their fourth consecutive game and seventh in their last eight contests.
The offense came to life for the Cards, scoring 18 runs against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and gaining a game on them in the NL Central.
But there were certainly some interesting things that took place for the Cardinals on Monday.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, backup catcher Andrew Knizner pinch-ran for Paul Goldschmidt at first base and later scored on Nolan Gorman’s three-run homer.
The Cards batted around in that inning and Knizner came to the plate with the bases loaded before hitting a grand slam to make it 18-1.
In doing so, Knizner became the first player in MLB history to enter a game as a pinch runner and proceed to hit a grand slam off of a position player in the same inning.
The most random stat you'll see today:
Andrew Knizner is the first known player in MLB history to enter a game as a pinch runner and then hit a grand slam off a position player in the same inning.
Do with that what you will. (H/T to @EliasSports!) pic.twitter.com/YjPcNiCnai
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 16, 2023
Knizner may be the backup catcher for the Cardinals, but there is no denying that he is swinging a hot bat as of late.
But even more impressive is that he didn’t start Monday night’s game against the Brewers, as Willson Contreras was back behind home plate for the first time since May 5.
Never before had a player entered a game as a pinch runner then proceeded to hit a grand slam off of a position player in the same inning.
But Knizner now stands alone as the only player to have accomplished this feat.
St. Louis put up 10 runs in the eighth and Knizner took over for Goldschmidt at first base in the ninth.
NEXT: Nolan Arenado Had A Big Weekend In Boston