In a thrilling day‑night doubleheader on Friday, the Cleveland Guardians turned a 6‑1 deficit into a 7‑6 win in the first game and then secured a 4‑3 victory in the second, both thanks to dramatic walk‑off moments.
Game 1: Rocchio’s ninth‑inning heroics
Brayan Rocchio sparked the comeback, belting a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Cleveland a 7‑6 win over the Detroit Tigers. Earlier, Rocchio had already made his mark with a grand slam in the fourth inning off Detroit starter Keider Montero. After falling behind 6‑1, the Guardians rallied, tying the game before Rocchio’s decisive blast.
Cade Smith closed out the ninth, joining Craig Yoho and Erik Sabrowski in delivering four combined scoreless innings to seal the win.
Game 2: Bazzana’s walk‑off single
The second game extended the drama into extra innings. Travis Bazzana singled home Rocchio with two outs in the 10th, delivering Cleveland’s second walk‑off victory of the day. Hunter Gaddis pitched two perfect innings for the Guardians, who had entered the doubleheader with a four‑of‑six record.
Earlier, Bazzana had hit a game‑tying two‑run homer in the eighth, erasing a 3‑0 deficit. Kevin McGonigle contributed two hits and an RBI for Detroit, but the Tigers fell for the 16th time in 20 games, with Kenley Jansen taking the loss.
Other MLB highlights
Across the league, the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals 5‑3, with Blake Snell delivering six scoreless innings and Kyle Tucker adding a home run. The Milwaukee Brewers edged the Cincinnati Reds 10‑7, highlighted by Cooper Pratt’s bases‑clearing triple.
In Atlanta, the Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5‑2 as Chris Sale outdueled Cristopher Sanchez, while the Chicago White Sox snapped a two‑game skid with a 4‑1 win over the Minnesota Twins, featuring a two‑run homer by Colson Montgomery.
Other notable results included the Pittsburgh Pirates edging the Los Angeles Angels 1‑0, the Chicago Cubs beating the Miami Marlins 6‑1 to claim the top spot in the National League wild‑card race, and the Boston Red Sox defeating the Baltimore Orioles 1‑0.
These games underscore a weekend of high‑octane baseball, with walk‑off victories and clutch pitching shaping the outcomes across the majors.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
