Seattle Mariners prospect Tai Peete helped lift the Single-A Modesto Nuts to a 12-11 extra-inning victory on Sunday by registering his first two professional grand slams -- which also doubled as his first pro home runs -- in consecutive innings. Not bad for it being just his fourth game at the Single-A level.
The Nuts were down by as many as eight runs to the San Jose Giants during that game, but Peete came in clutch during the seventh inning when he cleared the basses and started the come back effort for this team. He did it again in the eight inning, which means he was responsible for eight of the Nuts' 12 runs.
"The first one, I saw [right-hander Luis Moreno] shook off, so I'm usually expecting something here. I got a good barrel to it," Peete told MLB.com. "After I got that one, my second at-bat afterwards [against lefty Tommy Kane], I was just thinking, 'base hit.' I don't want to do too much. But in the back of my mind, I'm just thinking, 'Swing out your shoes. Might as well. The time is now to do it. Might as well swing out your shoes.'
"That's what I did, and my team had my back on it. It's a moment I'll probably never forget. … Nothing really compares to what just happened."
Peete, who turned 18 years old earlier this month, was drafted 30th overall in July. However, the young athlete has been showing off his MLB potential for a few years now. He represented the Southeast Region in the 2018 Little League World Series and has played on the Team USA circuit.
Two grand slams in one game are always impressive, but perhaps not completely surprising when it comes to Peete. He is still just starting his career, but he has been climbing up the ladder at a fast pace. He went 13-for-37 (.351) with a triple and a double while playing for the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He was then promoted to Single-A, where he got five hits -- two of them doubles -- in his first three games with the Nuts.
"He's been awesome," Modesto manager Zach Vincej told MLB.com. "He's bringing a lot of energy for us. He seems like he's very in tune with what he needs to do at the plate. He has a good approach. He's the kind of guy that's going to find barrels and can put the ball in play. He's been fun to watch the last few days."
