#34 04/27/02 – 06/09/02 – Anaheim Stadium - Eckstein’s 3 Grand Slams

In 2002, the Angels got off to their worst start ever (6-20) and found themselves 10½ games behind the Mariners. Rather than throw up the white flag, the Angels battled back with a pair of 8-game win streaks.

During that first streak, their light-hitting leadoff hitter, David Eckstein, came up huge. In the fifth inning of a game against the Blue Jays, David stepped up to the plate. The diminutive infielder, who usually choked up on the bat, capped a seven-run inning with a grand slam that snuck over the leftfield wall for his first homer of the year. Eckstein scored two and drove in five in the 11-4 victory.

The very next night, with the game tied 4-4 after 13 innings, Toronto scored in the top of the 14^th to take the lead. The Angels responded by loading the bases in the bottom of the inning. With two outs, David struck again, with a grand slam to almost the same exact spot. The 8-5 win was their fourth in a row.

By June 9, the Angels had pulled within 2 games of the Mariners. In the second inning of a contest against the Cincinnati Reds, Eckstein stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded again. His third grand slam in six weeks sparked a 7-4 victory and cut Seattle’s lead to one.

The “X-factor,” as he came to be known, continued to contribute key hits throughout the year and into the post-season. As the Angels’ leadoff hitter, he did what needed to be done, leading the league with 27 HBP (hit-by-pitch) and 14 sacrifice bunts, while batting .293, scoring 107 runs, stealing 21 bases, and even driving in 63 RBI on 8 home runs, in order to help the Angels make it to their first postseason in 16 years.