WATCH: Seattle Mariners slugger Carlos Santana blasts grand slam to take big lead over the Los Angeles Angels

Seattle Mariners slugger Carlos Santana lived up to his nickname "Slamtama" after his grand slam against the Los Angeles Angels yesterday. The 36-year-old started as the designated hitter in yesterday's contest and hit a grand slam in the top of the fifth inning.

Seattle Mariners

@Mariners

Rye bread. Mustard. Grand Salami time.

2268

273

Rye bread. Mustard. Grand Salami time. https://t.co/SzsFlHF4hz

"Rye bread. Mustard. Grand Salami time." - @ Seattle Mariners

The slam gave Seattle a 5-0 lead. Santana would hit another dinger in the game in the top of the ninth. The latter was a solo shot that would ultimately be the final run scored in the 9-1 shellacking of the Angels.

The switch-hitting Santana became just the fifth Seattle Mariners player ever to score a home run from either side of the plate in the same game. The last one was Justin Smoak in 2012.

Alex Mayer

@alexmayer34

Carlos Santana is the 5th @Mariners player to homer from BOTH sides of the plate in a game, joining Larry Milbourne (July 15, 1978), Donnie Scott (April 29, 1985), David Segui (April 1, 1998) & Justin Smoak (Sept. 25, 2012).

377

51

Carlos Santana is the 5th @Mariners player to homer from BOTH sides of the plate in a game, joining Larry Milbourne (July 15, 1978), Donnie Scott (April 29, 1985), David Segui (April 1, 1998) & Justin Smoak (Sept. 25, 2012).

"Carlos Santana is the 5th @Mariners player to homer from BOTH sides of the plate in a game, joining Larry Milbourne (July 15, 1978), Donnie Scott (April 29, 1985), David Segui (April 1, 1998) & Justin Smoak (Sept. 25, 2012)." - @ Alex Mayer

The former All-Star blasted his 18th and 19th home run of the year. What made them a little extra special was that it was Santana's mother Nuris Amador's birthday.

Seattle Mariners: Breaking the drought?

With the Houston Astros clinching the American League West division with their win yesterday, that just leaves the Seattle Mariners to vie for a Wild Card spot for playoff eligibility.

With 16 games left in the regular season, the Mariners are currently holding on to the final Wild Card spot in the American League. The next best contender in the race is the Baltimore Orioles, who are five games behind.

The Mariners recently kicked off a three-series road trip that started in Anaheim. Surprisingly, Seattle managed to win just one out of their possible four games against the Angels. The Angels are known to be a greater inferior team compared to the Mariners but managed to claim the series 3-1.

It's a worrying sign for the Mariners, especially as they are carrying the longest playoff drought in the four major North American sports that have lasted for 20 seasons.

The following opponents for the Mariners are far inferior teams in the Athletics, Rangers, and Tigers. It will be a test for the star-laden team if they can finally end their drought or ultimately fall short again.

​