Remembering a special Rays' walk-off grand slam after Freddie Freeman's World Series winner

With two outs in the bottom of the 10th inning, Freddie Freeman blasted a no-doubt walk-off grand slam off of Yankee's left hander, Nestor Cortes. This improbable comeback granted LA the victory in game one of the 2024 World Series.

Six years ago, the Rays completed a similar feat as Daniel Robertson crushed a walk-off grand slam to avoid being swept by the Marlins in the Citrus Series. Although this event was far less significant than last night's heroics, it was a huge win that seemed impossible and would give a much needed boost to a team hovering around .500.

Robertson is a former Rays' infielder from Upland, California. His short-lived career left much to be desired as his ceiling appeared to be sky high when he started with the Rays. The Upland HS grad made his Major League debut with Tampa Bay in 2017. He didn't start to get comfortable until the next season where he slashed .262/.382/.415. His impressive OBP stat was good for 14th best in the MLB behind Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros. The Rays really thought they had a future with the young shortstop, but he was dealt to the Giants two years later after struggling with consistency.

Regardless, the moment that he produced in the summer of '18 was priceless. Tampa Bay was trailing most of the game as Miami put up four runs in the 2nd inning and led 4-1 going into the last frame. Rays' fan favorite, Ji-Man Choi hit an RBI single with no outs in the bottom of the 9th to make the contest a little more interesting. After a strikeout, groundout, and a walk, the Rays were down to their last out with a 17% chance to pull off a victory. Kevin Cash decided to pinch-hit for catcher Adam Moore and up to the plate came a fresh Daniel Robertson. The 24-year old saw two pitches and the second one was deposited 417 feet into the left field bleachers. This implausible win was just what the Rays needed to charge forward the rest of the campaign and finish with 90 wins.

As incredible as that clutch hit was for Robertson and the Rays, we believe that what he did afterwards was even more notable. According to the Washington Post, Robertson visited a young, injured teenager in the hospital the night of his miraculous homer. Life long Rays' fan, Joey Johnston was badly hurt after jumping from a bridge and required two different surgeries to heal a fractured vertebrae.

While the humble athlete could've celebrated with his family or teammates after their amazing win, he chose to visit someone in need and show his love and appreciation. This heartwarming story deserves more praise as this is honestly what baseball and sports are all about.