Detroit Tigers catcher prospect Luke Shliger was batting sixth for the Erie SeaWolves on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern League Southwest Division Series against the Richmond Flying Squirrels. With the game tied at one in the bottom of the first inning, he hit a grand slam to give Erie a 5-1 lead. The SeaWolves scored eight runs in the first inning.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Shliger hit another grand slam for Erie. They scored five runs in the sixth inning. The SeaWolves won Game 1 over the Flying Squirrels by a final score of 18-6.

The Giants Cut Him in May

Both slams came against the organization that let him go. Richmond is San Francisco’s Double-A affiliate, and the Giants released Shliger, their sixth-round pick in 2023, in early May. He signed a minor league deal with Detroit three days later. The first grand slam came off Miguel Mendez, San Francisco’s No. 16 prospect, and the second off left-hander Esmerlin Vinicio, according to MLB.com. No minor leaguer had hit two grand slams in a playoff game since at least 2005, the first season in MLB’s records; it has happened 15 times in the regular season over that span.

Luke Shliger Has Erie One Win From the Final Again

Shliger’s performance has the SeaWolves one win away from going back to the championship series for the fifth consecutive season. Erie has reached the Eastern League final in each of the last four years, winning it in 2023 and 2024.

This was a historic night for Erie’s franchise and the 24-year-old catcher, even if it was only one game. Shliger joined the SeaWolves on Aug. 11 and played in 18 games with Erie during the regular season. He had a .397 batting average with six home runs and 18 RBIs, along with three stolen bases on four attempts. Shliger had a .459 on-base percentage, a .810 slugging percentage and a 1.269 OPS.

Game 2 Is Thursday in Richmond

They need to win one more game on the road to close out the best-of-three series. The SeaWolves will face the Flying Squirrels for Game 2 on Thursday night at CarMax Park in Richmond, Virginia, with first pitch set for 6:45 p.m. Erie opened the playoffs Tuesday with several Tigers prospects in the lineup.