Jake McCarthy's First Grand Slam Hugged the Foul Pole and Saved Colorado's Entire Homestand

The Colorado Rockies were down 2-0 and looking at another loss. Then Jake McCarthy stepped up in the eighth inning and absolutely changed the script. His first career grand slam, a liner that hugged the right-field foul pole just staying fair, drove in five runs and gave Colorado a 6-2 win over the New York Mets on Thursday at Coors Field. The fair call held up after an umpire review, and just like that, the Rockies had salvaged the final game of their homestand and snapped a six-game losing streak.

How Colorado Clawed Back

The Mets struck first. In the second inning, Austin Slater led off with a single, Marcus Semien walked, and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. Andy Ibanez drove in Slater with a sacrifice fly, and Tyrone Taylor made it 2-0 with an RBI single to left. That looked like it might hold up.

But the Rockies kept pecking away. They got one back in the fourth inning off starter Christian Scott when Tyler Freeman reached on a one-out bunt single, Johnston drew a two-out walk, and Castro singled to score Freeman. Then in the sixth, with runners on first and second and two outs, McCarthy blooped an RBI double to center off reliever Huascar Brazoban to tie the game at 2-2.

McCarthy's Moment in the Eighth

That's when things got wild. TJ Rumfield and Troy Johnston led off the eighth with back-to-back singles. Willi Castro walked to load the bases. McCarthy came to the plate against reliever Craig Kimbrel and unleashed his first career grand slam. The ball hugged that right-field foul pole and stayed fair. Five runs scored in one swing, and Colorado was suddenly up 6-2.

Antonio Senzatela came in for relief and pitched two innings to seal it. He struck out Francisco Alvarez and MJ Melendez in the ninth and got Vidal Brujan on a pop-up to end the game. Starter Jose Quintana allowed two runs on five hits over 5 2/3 innings for Colorado.

The Mets fall to 4-2 on their nine-game road trip that wraps up in Arizona this weekend. For Colorado, this one felt like a turning point after everything that had gone wrong.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.