Jason Benetti correctly predicted Parker Meadows' surprise Grand Slam

The Detroit Tigers appeared to be about to be beaten in a three-game sweep by the San Diego Padres on Thursday night when they trailed 3-0 in the ninth inning. A loss would have made their improbable path to a wild card berth even more improbable. But with their backs against the wall, they mounted a comeback that brought Parker Meadows to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. The young outfielder played the entire game and then, like so many kids in that situation in their backyard, hit a truly stunning grand slam home run over the left field fence.

Tigers live commentator Jason Benetti captured the surprise of the moment perfectly on the Bally Sports Detroit broadcast, and Meadows was allowed to carry around a pile of fake pizzas on sticks as he reached his jubilant dugout.

San Diego had beaten Detroit to no points in the series opener and then rallied from a five-run deficit to win on Wednesday night, so this was an even bigger turnaround than the usual grand slam that takes the lead.

Meadows, who struggled greatly in his 2023 rookie season and experienced ups and downs between the majors and minors this season, has developed into a very productive player as the Tigers began a late-summer surge in the standings.