Iowa History Daily: On March 11, 1870, Herm McFarland, the first player to hit a grand slam in American League history, was born in Des Moines, Iowa. A journeyman major leaguer of a bygone era, McFarland stands out for his notable pop at the plate.
Herm McFarland, an outfielder for five teams in his seven big league seasons, smashed the first grand slam on May 1, 1901, to help lead his Chicago White Sox over the Detroit Tigers, 19-9. Later in the same game, McFarland’s teammate Dummy Hoy also hit a grand slam. The hapless Tigers also committed an astounding twelve errors in the contest.
The 1901 White Sox went on to win the American League pennant during McFarland’s first season with the team. Over the course of his career, McFarland also played stints with the Louisville Colonels, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and New York Highlanders.
During his career, Herm appeared in 352 major league games, and had 1,278 at bats, 204 runs, 340 hits, 61 doubles, 28 triples, 13 home runs, 167 RBI, 64 stolen bases, 175 walks, .266 batting average, .362 on-base percentage, .388 slugging percentage, 496 total bases and 26 sacrifice hits. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
