Well, file this one under uber-weird innings that have occurred at Coors Field.
In the fourth inning of Colorado's series opener against the San Francisco Giants on Friday, the Rockies hit a grand slam and an inside-the-park home run. Those hits helped the Rockies score six runs in the frame, and they hung on for a 6-5 win over San Francisco.
Second-year shortstop Trevor Story, who has otherwise struggled this season, stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and blasted a Johnny Cueto fastball into the seats in right.
The slam — the first of Story's career — helped Colorado dig out of an early 3-0 deficit and go up a run.
Three batters later, leadoff man Charlie Blackmon hit a home run of his own. Only his didn't clear any outfield walls. Blackmon hit a liner, and Hunter Pence slipped trying to field it, possibly due to the slippery conditions. Blackmon took advantage of the mistake and made it all the way around to home.
"That particular ball flight is one that might get in the lights over there," Blackmon said. "So I imagine that's what happened. The conditions didn't help either. As soon as it got by him, I knew I had to be running hard just in case there's an opportunity for me to score. So I really turned it on right there."
The Rockies hung on for their 11th win of the season.
Colorado's big fourth was the first instance of a team hitting a grand slam and inside-the-park homer in the same inning since the Red Sox did it on Sept. 19, 2011. The New York Giants in 1950 were the last National League team to accomplish the feat.
"We haven't done that often this year where we've strung hits together and then got a big hit," manager Bud Black said. "That was a big inning. I think we got five in Milwaukee maybe in one inning. But we're capable of that. We're capable of that against any pitcher. Cueto's tough, but we put some good at-bats together."
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