In
baseball, a
grand slam is a
home run hit with
all three bases occupied by baserunners ("bases loaded"), thereby scoring four
runs—the most possible in one play. According to
The Dickson Baseball Dictionary, the term originated in the card game of
contract bridge, in which a
grand slam involves taking all the possible tricks. The word
slam, by itself, usually is connected with a loud sound, particularly of a door being closed with excess force; thus,
slamming the door on one's opponent(s), in addition to of course the bat slamming the ball into a home run. The term was extended to various sports, such as
golf and
tennis, for sweeping a sport's major tournaments.