There have been 120 World Series before this one, and while those Series have included pinch-hit home runs (Kirk Gibson!) and grand slams (Freddie Freeman!), the Fall Classic had never seen a home run that met both criteria.
Until Friday.
In the bottom of the sixth inning Friday night, the Blue Jays' Addison Barger stepped to the plate to hit for left fielder Davis Schneider. On a 2-1 pitch from Emmett Sheehan, Barger parked an 84 mph slider over the center field fence to give Toronto a 9–2 lead over the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series.
ADDISON BARGER
— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2025
PINCH-HIT
GRAND SLAM#WORLDSERIES pic.twitter.com/REg58MNosp
Barger's swing was, remarkably, the first pinch-hit grand slam in the 122-year history of the competition. It served as the centerpiece of a nine-run inning that blew open a tie game.
The 25-year-old Bellevue, Wash., native owns 28 home runs in his two-year career. None has been a grand slam.
The postseason is a different animal, however, and on Friday Barger—a .286 hitter in the postseason entering Friday—gave Blue Jays fans a moment they'll never forget.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Addison Barger's Pinch-Hit Grand Slam Was a World Series First.