THIS DAY IN BASEBALL October 16: Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez hit grand slams in 2021 ALCS Game 2 win

Grand slams by J.D. Martinez in the first inning and Rafael Devers in the second gave Boston the win in Game 2 of the ALCS on this day in beisbol, October 16, 2021.

The win tied the series with the Houston Astros, who would go on to lose  the World Series to the Atlanta Braves in six games.

Devers was just 24 and already a huge star after his best year at the plate in 2021, when the Dominican Republic native led the Red Sox with 38 home runs and 113 RBI.

Martinez, the veteran slugger in his fourth year with Boston, had 28 homers and 99 RBI during the regular season as a full-time DH.

Also on this day: Roberto Clemente’s heroics in Game 6 of the 1971 World Series weren’t enough for a victory, as the Orioles forced a Game 7 with a 10-inning win. Clemente homered, tripled and showed off his cannon of an arm by preventing a runner from scoring in the bottom of the ninth with a perfect throw to the plate from the right field corner.

The Pirates would win the Series, with Clemente named MVP for hitting .414 with two home runs among his 12 hits.

Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; LatinoBaseball.com illustration