Football
Associated Press 19y

Phillies' Bell ends drought with first career grand slam

WASHINGTON -- David Bell had to wait a lot longer than his
father did to get grand slam No. 1 in the major leagues.

Bell, the Philadelphia Phillies third baseman, homered in his
127th career at-bat with the bases loaded, ending the longest such
drought among active players in a 7-1 win over the Washington
Nationals on Friday night.

Bell's father, Buddy, managed to hit a grand slam with his very
first homer in the big leagues, as a rookie for Cleveland against
Baltimore in April 22, 1972.

The younger Bell hit a 1-0 pitch from left-hander John Halama
over the left-field wall in the third inning Friday. It was his
156th plate appearance with the bases loaded, according to the
Elias Sports Bureau.

"I was just trying to hit the ball hard," Bell said. "I'll
take it."

It was his seventh homer of the season and 110th of his career.
He first appeared in the majors in 1995, and his first slam came in
his 4,217th career at-bat overall.

After hitting .291 last season, Bell's average is at .246.

"I've done everything I can to figure it out and continue
improving," he said. "It would be really selfish for me to dwell
on this, whether it's good or bad."

Bell wasn't aware he was the active leader for most bases-loaded
at-bats without a homer. He took over that distinction when Yankees
shortstop Derek Jeter ended his own such drought by hitting his
first slam in June in his 136th at-bat with the bases full.

Alex Gonzalez of the Devil Rays has 112 bases-full at-bats
without a homer, now the longest such streak, according to Elias.

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