With the Atlanta Braves holding a 3-1 lead and looking to close out the 2021 World Series against the Houston Astros, former Cincinnati Reds outfielder Adam Duvall hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first inning off of Framber Valdez to give his team an early 4-0 lead in Game 5 at Truist Park.
It wasn't enough. The Astros rallied for seven runs in the four innings that followed Duvall's slam on their way to a 9-5 win to send the series back to Houston.
Duvall's homer was his third of the 2021 postseason. He homered in the third inning of Game 1 of the World Series - a 6-2 Atlanta win - also against Valdez.
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Duvall had a huge second inning during the Braves' 9-2 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, hitting a solo home run in the top half of the inning and making a spectacular leaping catch at the wall in the bottom half to rob Gavin Lux.
Duvall homered once for the Braves during the 2019 playoffs, and once during the 2020 playoffs.
Duvall is the Braves' connection - among former Greater Cincinnati high school players and ex-Reds - to the 2021 MLB postseason.
Duvall hit 22 homers in 91 games for the Miami Marlins earlier this season, but he's otherwise played for the Braves since the Reds traded him in July 2018 for Lucas Sims, Preston Tucker and Matt Wisler.
In July, the Marlins traded Duvall back to the Braves for Alex Jackson. Duvall hit 16 homers in 55 games for the Braves.
Between the Marlins and the Braves, Duvall hit 38 homers with a league-leading 113 RBIs.
In February, Barry Jackson and Craig Mish of MiamiHerald.com reported that the Marlins could have landed former Madeira High School standout Andrew Benintendi in a three-team trade but instead opted to sign Duvall.
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