Mariners Memory: Dan Wilson’s Inside the Park Grand Slam

May 3rd, 1998. Dan Wilson steps to the plate with the bases loaded. Facing Frank Castillo, Wilson is about to make history with an inside-the-park Grand Slam. A fantastic Mariners Memory.

Tooting my own horn here a bit, but I’ve seen some pretty cool moments at Seattle Mariners games. All of these moments built my love of the game. Yes, there were rough moments. It only helped me love the team more, hoping to see them succeed.

For every tough moment, there are incredible ones burnt into my memory. One of these was a game against the Detroit Tigers back in 1998, on May 3rd.

My Dad and I went to the game for his birthday. We went to a fair amount of games every year, around 5-10. Living around two hours away, it was always a treat to be able to go to a game. This one definitely fell in that Mariners memory category.

Only ten years old, i was immersed in baseball. It was on the radio every night if i could find a game to listen to. I would play catch with myself, or anyone with a glove if i could.  Anytime i got to go to a game, it made my week.

Even though it was over 20 years ago, I can still remember this game. Sitting in right center field, in the second level. It was a weird little area, as you couldn’t see a ton with the upper deck right above you. Was it bad? Probably. Did it distract from the game? If anything, it made you focus on it more.

Dan Wilson came up in the first inning. Not known for his speed, Dan Wilson would finish with 23 career stolen bases. If he was going to get around the bases, everyone in the park thought it would be on a ball clearing the fence.

Wilson hit a ball to deep left center. Luis Gonzalez missed it as he got to the wall, and then it bounced back past Brian Wilson. Then Dan The Man Wilson got on his horse. He made it all the way around the bases, with the rare inside-the-park grand slam.

Even though it was his only hit of the game, it was one of the greatest hits of his career. I’ll always remember that day, that hit, and Dan Wilson chugging around the bases. An incredible Mariners Memory.