All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. This article was written by Bob Barrier. On July 3, 1966, Cloninger hit two grand slams and drove in a total of nine runs in a 17-3 rout of the Giants at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Career: 113-97, 4.07 ERA, 1120 SO, P, Braves/Reds/... 1961-1972, t:R, born in NC 1940, died 2018 Tony Cloninger is the first and probably the last pitcher to ever hit two grand slams in a single game. The Braves sent 52 batters to face Giants pitching. Former teammate Jim Palmer reported on Twitter that Johnson, 83, died in Minnesota. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. After 13 seasons, the Milwaukee Braves “struck the Wigwam” and headed south to Atlanta for the ’66 season. AP photo. Mr. Tony Lee Cloninger, Sr., age 77, of Denver, passed away on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Tony Lee Cloninger (August 13, 1940 – July 24, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and coach.He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from 1961 through 1972 for the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals.. Lou Perini — who brought the Braves from Boston in ’53 — sold the club to the Chicago based LaSalle Corporation, led by William Bartholomay, in ‘62. “…And Two of Them for Cloninger: Hurler’s Hitting Feat Helps Braves Rout Giants by 17-3,” New York Times, July 4, 1966, 18. “Two Grand Slams in One Game,” http://baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats11.shtml. Become a Stathead & surf this site ad-free. His new single-game record of nine RBI still stood as of 2015. July 3, 2020 Updated: July 3, 2020 4 a.m. All rights reserved. A modest crowd of 27,002 was there. Do you have a sports website? Cloninger worked Priddy to a full count and then sent the next offering to almost the exact same spot as Torre’s homer, clearing the 410-foot sign in center field. Copyright © 2000-2021 Sports Reference LLC. 1966 Atlanta Braves Broadcasters. Shortstop Jim Davenport was lifted. HALL OF FAME PITCHERS are in RED ** Indicates 1 Shutout was a NO-HITTER (4/30/1969 CIN vs HOU 10-0) Source: Walt Wilson, Member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) Coordinator: Lyle Spatz, Chairman SABR's Records Committee Alou grounded to short, making two of the three outs in the inning. 5 “The Pitcher Who Hit Two Grand Slams,” http://platoonadvantage.com/2011-articles/the-pitcher-who-hit-two-grand-slams.html. After the sensational day with the bat, Tony observed, “Funny thing, nobody asked me about my pitching!”3, Tony Cloninger became just the fifth batter to have hit two grand slams in a game, joining the New York Yankees’ Tony Lazzeri (May 24, 1936), the Boston Red Sox’ Jim Tabor (July 4, 1939) and Rudy York (July 27, 1946), and the Baltimore Orioles’ Jim Gentile (May 9, 1961). Denver United Methodist Church Cemetery, Denver, NC, High School: Rock Springs HS (Denver, NC), Debut: “July 3, 1966Atlanta Braves at San Francisco Giants Play by Play and Box Score,” http://baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN196607030.shtml. Are you a Stathead, too? (Age 31-344d) 16 Although he didn’t give up McNally’s historic blast, Cloninger did serve up long balls to Frank Robinson and Buford, taking the loss by allowing five runs on six hits and three walks. If you can help us improve this game story, contact us. He struck out five, walked two, and allowed the solo home runs to Sadecki and Haller. In fact, he is best remembered for feats of strength with the bat in 1966. The Brooklyn Dodgers’ Don Newcombe had been the only National League pitcher to hit two home runs in a game twice in one season (1955) before Cloninger accomplished the feat.5 Rick Wise has since done it as well. BOSTON -- Major League Baseball mourns the loss of Tony Cloninger, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 77. Tony Lee Cloninger is on Facebook. In this July 3, 1966, file photo, Atlanta Braves right-hander Tony Cloninger hoists an armload of … Cloninger’s name can be associated with grand-slam games. In all, Atlanta sent nine batters to the plate in the fourth and scored five runs on two hits, two walks, and two errors. Some high school data is courtesy David McWater. Cloninger was signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1958. DENVER, N.C. -- Former major league pitcher Tony Cloninger, perhaps best known for hitting two grand slams in a game, has died. Robert "Sammy" Houston/AP Cloninger spent most of his big league career with the Braves, from 1961-68, and was with the club when it moved from Milwaukee to Atlanta. On an 0-and-1 count, Cloninger smacked his second bases-loaded home run of the game, lining a drive over the opposite-field fence in right. In that stretch, Cloninger went 113-97 with a 4.07 ERA over 1,767 2/3 innings across 352 outings, including 247 starts. Entering the game, Cloninger had had nine runs batted in for the season, and after this game, he had doubled it to 18.1 He would end the season with 23. Tony Cloninger SABR biography by David E. Skelton “Warren Spahn, Hall of Fame Pitcher, Was Seasoned by World War II,” by Dwight Jon Zimmerman, October 25, 2014, defensemedianetwork.com. On That Midnight Train to Georgia. Tony Cloninger made his Major League debut on 06-15-1961 with the Milwaukee Braves. from the SABR BioProject, More Tony Cloninger Pages at Baseball Reference, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Wednesday, May 19, 8:12AM. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Right fielder Hank Aaron forced him at second, and then the hit parade started: left fielder Rico Carty singled to right and catcher Joe Torre launched a home run to deep center field, and it was 3-0. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. After just 3½ innings, the score was Atlanta 13, San Francisco 0. A 12-year Major League veteran pitcher and member of the Red Sox organization from 2002-18, Cloninger spent more than 40 years in professional baseball, including the past 14 as a player development consultant for Boston.    vs. SFG 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 SO, 2 BB, 6 ER, L, Last Game: “The Ballplayers – Tony Cloninger,” http://baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Tony_Cloninger_1940&page=chronology. Tony Cloninger won 113 games as a major-league pitcher over 12 seasons but is best remembered for what he did in a single game in 1966 as a batter. Warren Spahn SABR biography by Jim Kaplan; Willard Hershberger SABR biography by Charles Faber 555 N. Central Ave. #416 “The Pitcher Who Hit Two Grand Slams,” http://platoonadvantage.com/2011-articles/the-pitcher-who-hit-two-grand-slams.html. He was 77. Born: Contact SABR, 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, http://dev.sabr.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/CloningerTony.jpg, /wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sabr_logo.png, July 3, 1966: Braves pitcher Tony Cloninger clouts two grand slams.