PHOENIX — Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno had perhaps his finest moment of the season on Thursday, smoking a grand slam off Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto at Chase Field.
The opposite-field blast gave Arizona a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning off a pitcher who had allowed only four earned runs in seven starts this season coming into Thursday.
Yamamoto hit Eugenio Suarez with a pitch to load the bases with no outs. He fell behind 2-0 in the count to Moreno and left a cutter down the middle, which the catcher clocked 105 mph.
Gabriel Moreno is feeling GRAND 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/nwc7rFw55D
— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2025
That was Moreno’s first home run of the season and first since Aug. 5, right before he landed on the injured list with a groin strain last summer.
It was also his second career grand slam, the first coming at Petco Park against the Padres in 2023.
Moreno entered Thursday with only three extra-base hits this season — all doubles — and a slashline of .230/.316/.264.
He laced a single off of Yamamoto in the second inning before the grand slam, a good sign.
Gabriel Moreno not the only D-back to homer vs. Dodgers
Ketel Marte finally blasted his first home run of the season as well.
Marte lined a cutter on the inside corner from Yamamoto over the wall in right field to take a 5-0 lead. He missed nearly a month on the injured list with a hamstring strain and had struggled to drive the ball since coming back last Friday.
He made a couple sterling defensive plays in the early innings. Perhaps they got him going.
Ketel Marte adds on with his first homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/rSSkA5HPj1
— MLB (@MLB) May 9, 2025
