Kolten Wong knocks out grand slam, earns rookie honor
It has been quite a day for St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong.
The Hilo native started Tuesday by being named the National League Rookie of the Month for May, Major League Baseball announced.
Then, in the second inning of the game against Kansas City, Wong hammered an 0-1 pitch 402 feet to right field for a grand slam, his first big league home run.
The grand slam gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead and their first runs in June. St. Louis, however, lost the lead and the game, 8-7.
Wong was called up from the Cardinals’ Triple-A Memphis farm club on May 14 and hit .333 (16-for-48) in 13 games in May. It was the highest average among National League rookies with at least 40 plate appearances.
Wong was drafted out of the University of Hawaii in 2011 as the 22nd overall selection.
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