Legend of Akil Baddoo grows with ninth-inning grand slam

DETROIT – On Easter, Detroit Tigers rookie Akil Baddoo blasted the first pitch of his major league career over the left field fence. In his second game, he decided to make it a grand slam.

Baddoo was the talk of spring training after the Tigers selected him in the Rule 5 draft. He wasn’t expected to make the roster because he’d never played a game above High-A ball, but his spring performance left the Tigers no choice.

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Manager A.J. Hinch gave Baddoo the start in center field Monday, saying if someone hits a home run, they deserve to start the next day.

Well, I guess Baddoo will be in the lineup again Tuesday (update: nope). He came up with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and smashed a Randy Dobnak offering into the bullpen for a grand slam.

Detroit was down 15-2 at the time, so this home run certainly wasn’t as dramatic as his first. But still, it was another “wow” moment for the 22-year-old.

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In addition to the grand slam, Baddoo also hit a line drive single to center field and stole his first base of the season after reaching on a dropped third strike.

By the way, when the Tigers selected Baddoo in the Rule 5 draft, they took him away from the Twins.

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