Felix Hernandez hits first grand slam by AL pitcher in 37 years

NEW YORK — Felix Hernandez hit the first grand slam by an American League pitcher in 37 years when the Seattle Mariners ace connected Monday night off Johan Santana of the New York Mets.

With two outs in the second inning, Hernandez took a healthy hack at Santana's first pitch and drove an opposite-field shot over the right-center fence to give Seattle a 4-0 lead.

Three innings later, Hernandez sprained his left ankle while trying to cover home plate on a wild pitch. He left the game one out short of qualifying for a win and had to be helped to the dugout by team trainers.

Earlier, Hernandez hit the first home run by a pitcher in Mariners history, and the first slam by an AL hurler since Cleveland's Steve Dunning connected off Oakland's Diego Segui on May 11, 1971, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

That was two years before the American League began playing with a designated hitter -- and six years before the Mariners' expansion season of 1977.

The last National League pitcher to hit a grand slam also did it at Shea Stadium. Dontrelle Willis, then with Florida, accomplished the feat against the Mets on July 7, 2006.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Hernandez clapped his hands while rounding first base as the ball cleared the fence. The home run came in his first plate appearance of the season and made him 2-for-9 with five RBIs and six strikeouts in his major league career.

Just before Hernandez connected, an error by Mets third baseman David Wright extended the inning.

His next time up, Hernandez dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt.

Interestingly, Mariners pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre also hit a grand slam while pitching in the big leagues. He did it on July 20, 1965, an inside-the-park slam at Yankee Stadium against Boston.

In the fifth inning, Carlos Beltran dashed home when Hernandez's wild pitch squirted away from catcher Jeff Clement.

Hernandez rushed in to cover home but Clement held onto the ball and made an unsuccessful dive at Beltran. That left Hernandez standing on the plate when Beltran slid into his feet, scoring safely to make it 5-1 Mariners.

Hernandez hobbled away from the play, then crumpled to the ground as manager Jim Riggleman and a trainer came out to check on the 22-year-old right-hander.

He got up and threw a warmup pitch, but jumped off the rubber in pain. Hernandez asked to try one more, but Riggleman waved him off and signaled to the bullpen.

A frustrated Hernandez then slammed his cap to the ground and was relieved by Roy Corcoran.