Joey Votto's Walk-off Grand Slam and MLB's 10 Memorable Performances of 2012

The 2012 MLB season is almost at the quarter mark, and thus far a number of memorable performances have caused a re-writing of the record books.

On Sunday night, an event occurred that hadn't been seen in 14 seasons—two walk-off grand-slam home runs on the same night.

Miami Marlins right fielder Giancarlo Stanton capped off a six-run ninth inning with his bomb to left-center field, giving the Marlins an improbable come-from-behind 8-4 win over the New York Mets to take the rubber match of the three-game weekend series, also giving the Marlins their 10th win in their last 12 games.

Over in Cincinnati, Reds first baseman Joey Votto capped off his night in grand style as well, homering with the bases loaded to give his Reds a 9-6 victory over the Washington Nationals.

While Votto's performance on Sunday afternoon was indeed memorable, where does it rank among MLB's greatest performances thus far in the 2012 season?

Let's take a look.

10. Andy Pettitte's Return to the New York Yankees

On Sunday afternoon in the Bronx, 41,631 fans at Yankee Stadium cheered loudly for the return of one of their heroes.

Starting pitcher Andy Pettitte made his return to baseball, taking the ball for a start for the first time since Game 3 of the 2010 ALCS against the Texas Rangers.

Pettitte, just a month shy of his 40th birthday, gave up four runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings against the Seattle Mariners, with his fastball consistently sitting in the upper 80s throughout.

Justin Smoak and Casper Wells both launched two-run home runs against Pettitte, spoiling his return. Pettitte did not appear to be overmatched, however, pitching out of a bases-loaded jam following Casper's shot to minimize the damage.

For a Yankees' rotation beset with a season-ending injury to Michael Pineda and the complete ineffectiveness of Freddy Garcia, Pettitte's Sunday performance was a shot in the arm.

9. Albert Pujols' Homerless April

After Albert Pujols signed his 10-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, he reported to spring training in Arizona with his new team and went about his business.

His business? A .383 average, seven HR and 20 RBI in 23 spring games. Pujols indeed looked locked and loaded and ready to revive an Angels' offense that had sputtered over the past two seasons.

However, the start of the regular season told a completely different story. Prince Albert looked more like a court jester in the batter's box, hitting just .217 with no homers and four RBI in his first month in Anaheim.

Pujols finally connected on May 6, ending the longest homerless drought of his career. However, Albert continues struggling, hitting just .196 after Sunday night's contest in Arlington, Texas, and his Angels are third-to-last in the AL in runs scored.

Prince Albert is still slumping, and the Angels have been royally screwed as a result.

8. Bryce Harper's Long-Awaited MLB Debut

When the Washington Nationals announced that young phenom Bryce Harper was being called up from Triple-A to make his debut on Apr. 28, just about everyone who is a fan of baseball waited in anticipation of the momentous event.

Harper did not disappoint. After a groundout and a flyout in his first two at-bats against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley, Harper stepped up in the top of the seventh and belted a shot over the head of center fielder Matt Kemp for a double, his first hit in the majors.

Harper's night wasn't done, however. In the top of the ninth, with his team tied at 1-1, Harper hit a sacrifice fly to left fielder Tony Gwynn, plating Rick Ankiel with the go-ahead run.

The Nationals would eventually lose the game in extra innings, but for Harper, his memorable night showed fans across the world just how special he can be.

7. Chris Davis Pitches for Baltimore Orioles

When infielder Chris Davis was traded last season at the deadline by the Texas Rangers to the Baltimore Orioles, he welcomed the opportunity to contribute to his new team in any way he could.

He probably never envisioned a scenario quite like the one that occurred earlier this month, however.

On May 6, the Orioles and Boston Red Sox were deadlocked in a 6-6 tie with the game headed to extra innings. The game remained tied into the 16th inning. Both managers had already used up their bullpens in the process, and both managers made the decision to put position players on the mound—Chris Davis moving from DH in the bottom of the 16th, and Red Sox DH Darnell McDonald doing the same in the top of the 17th.

Davis pitched a scoreless 16th, striking out catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and being aided by his defense, with Sox center fielder Marlon Byrd being thrown out at home to keep the game tied.

McDonald didn't fare so well for the Sox in the top half of the 17th, giving up two walks, a double and a go-ahead three-run home run by Adam Jones.

Davis came back out for the bottom of the 17th and kept the Sox at bay, recording the victory for the Orioles with his two-inning scoreless stint.

It certainly made up for an 0-for-8 day at the plate.

6. Colby Lewis Sets Dubious Record

On Thursday, May 10, in the first game of a doubleheader between the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles, Rangers starter Colby Lewis took the hill, heading into the game with a 3-1 record and 2.97 ERA.

By the time Lewis' day was done, he had a new MLB record to his credit, but not one he'll likely be thinking much about.

Lewis became the first pitcher in Major League Baseball history to record 10 strikeouts and give up five home runs in the same game since 1918.

Lewis was a bit prone to the long ball before his fateful outing that day, giving up at least one long ball in five of his first six starts. However, he nearly doubled that number in one day.

5. Baltimore Orioles Lead off Game in Record Fashion

In the same game in which Colby Lewis set a dubious record, the Baltimore Orioles set a new record of their own.

Leading of the bottom of the first inning in last Thursday's opening game of a doubleheader, Ryan Flaherty, J.J. Hardy and Nick Markakis all took Lewis offerings and deposited them into the seats, giving the Orioles a quick 3-0 lead.

The home runs were back-to-back-to-back, making the Orioles the first team in American League history to achieve the feat leading off a game.

4. Jered Weaver's First No-Hitter

When Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher was warming up in the bullpen prior to the game against the Minnesota Twins on May 2, he didn't necessarily think he was bringing no-hit stuff to the mound.

"I wasn't throwing 97-98," Weaver said. "It was the same poo-poo I've thrown all year. But balls were hit at people."

However, it was that poo-poo that led to a memorable night.

Weaver pitched a gem, allowing only two runners to reach base in his no-hit masterpiece.

It was the 10th no-hitter in Angels' history and the first for Weaver.

3. Joey Votto's Walk-off Slam Caps a 3 HR Day

For fans in Cincinnati who stuck around after rain delayed the start of Sunday's game by three hours and 36 minutes, the end result was well worth the wait.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto, who entered the game with only two HR on the season, hit three of them alone on Sunday, with his last being a dramatic walk-off grand slam bomb to give the Reds a 9-6 victory.

Votto also doubled, giving him a 4-for-5 day with six RBI.

2. Phillip Humber Is Perfect for White Sox

Perfection in any form is beautiful to watch, and in the case of Chicago White Sox starting Phillip Humber, it was unexpected as well.

After kicking around between the majors and minors for several seasons with several different clubs, Humber put together a nice season in 2011 for the White Sox, posting a 9-9 record and 3.75 ERA.

However, on April 21 of this year, Humber put on a performance that dazzled and surprised.

In just his second start of the season, Humber mowed down the Seattle Mariners one batter at a time, getting pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan to flail at a slider in the ninth inning to put a cap on his perfect day. It was only the 21st time in history that perfection had been seen from the mound.

1. Josh Hamilton Goes Yard Four Times

While Phillip Humber's perfect game in April was indeed a rare performance, what Josh Hamilton did on Tuesday, May 8 was even rarer.

Hamilton hit four home runs against the Baltimore Orioles, becoming only the 16th player in Major League Baseball history to achieve the rare feat.

Hamilton also set a new American League record with 18 total bases in one game, adding a double to his 5-for-5 performance.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.

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