Paul Goldschmidt must have heard those "Goldschmidt! Goldschmidt!" chants. He must have been motivated by the Milwaukee Brewers' decision to intentionally walk the hitter before him, Miguel Montero, in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Goldschmidt ripped an opposite-field grand slam to right field with two out, breaking open a close game and giving Arizona 7-1 lead. It was the first grand slam in Diamondbacks' postseason history.
The blast sent Chase Field into a frenzy. Brewers' starting pitcher Shaun Marcum, who threw his glove in the air in exasperation right after the pitch, was chased from the game after going 4 2/3 innings. The Diamondbacks went ahead 8-1 in the same inning after a single by Chris Young, who took second on a throwing error and stole third base, followed by Ryan Roberts' RBI single.
Goldschmidt was just the second rookie to hit a grand slam in a postseason game since 1998, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
And so it was that the Diamondbacks powered their way right back into their NL Division Series with the Brewers.
Defense helped the Diamondbacks maintain a 3-1 lead through 4 1/2 innings in Game 3 of the NLDS.
The top of the fourth inning featured a foul ball off the bat of the Brewers' Rickie Weeks that D-backs third baseman Roberts caught along the short wall that separates the field and the stands. A fan in a Brewers' shirt reached up Steve-Bartman style to try to catch the ball with his bare hands, but Roberts took it away from him.
Roberts also snagged a hard, sinking line drive off the bat of Corey "Sunglasses at Night" Hart in the top of the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, D-backs starter Josh Collmenter and leadoff man Willie Bloomquist singled. With two out, Montero, who had two hits in his previous at-bats, was walked, and Goldschmidt was next.