Mets player Robin Ventura recorded a game-winning hit, and although it cleared the outfield fences and normally would have been ruled a grand slam, he never completed his trip around the bases due to the on-field celebration; thus, it was only credited as a single.
The game was tied 2–2, going into the top of the 15th inning, until Mets pitcher Octavio Dotel gave up an RBI triple to Keith Lockhart, giving the Braves a 3–2 lead.
Instead, the final score of 4–3 put the game "under," meaning that many bettors who would have received payouts (if the hit was ruled a home run) did not.
"[9] Had Ventura completed his trip around the bases, it would have been the first walk-off grand slam in MLB postseason history.
That honor eventually went to Nelson Cruz, whose 11th inning grand slam won Game 2 of the 2011 ALCS for the Texas Rangers over the Detroit Tigers.
This happened on July 9, 1970, when Dalton Jones of the Detroit Tigers passed teammate Don Wert in a game against the Boston Red Sox, leaving him with a three-RBI single.
[11] It also occurred on July 4, 1976, when Tim McCarver of the Philadelphia Phillies passed teammate Garry Maddox during a 10–5 win in the first game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, leaving him with a three-RBI single.
Therefore, a walk-off grand slam in a tie game would have officially been scored as a single, and only one run would count.
[12] One such single that would be a grand slam under modern rules occurred on July 18, 1918, during a game between the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers.
With the bases loaded in a 2–2 game in the bottom of the tenth inning, Home Run Baker hit a ball into the upper deck at the Polo Grounds.