By early 1996, Hoiles' offensive production had diminished to the point to where the Orioles tried to drop him from the team by exposing him through waivers, but he managed a comeback. On May 17, 1996, Hoiles joined the list of 23 major league players who have hit an ultimate grand slam when he hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Orioles down by three runs against the Seattle Mariners. Hoiles' feat was unique, in that he hit his home run on a full count with two outs, only the second time in major league history this has ever been recorded (the first was by Alan Trammell in 1988). Hoiles ended the 1996 season with 25 home runs and 73 runs batted in to help the Orioles finish in second place in the American League East Division and capture the wild card berth, the Orioles' first postseason berth since winning the 1983 World Series. The Orioles went on to defeat the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the playoffs, before losing to the eventual world champion New York Yankees in the 1996 American League Championship Series.