The Cleveland Guardians just find ways to win games.
And on Friday, Sept. 4
, they did it in walk-off fashion... twice.
The two victories couldn't have come in more dramatic fashion, as Cleveland found itself needing a late-game rally to keep the Detroit Tigers at bay in both sets of the Friday doubleheader.
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In game one, the Guardians fell behind early, with left-handed pitcher Logan Allen giving up five earned runs across 2.1 innings of work. By the end of the third, it was a 6-1 ballgame. The offense clawed back, slowly but surely, before they exploded to score five runs in the fourth.
Brayan Rocchio was the catalyst in the first game of the day, as he smashed a grand slam to bring the game level, effectively putting the game in limbo.
Struggling for much of the last few months, seeing him step up was exciting for the Guardians. Postgame, Rocchio mentioned that he had spoken with veterans Austin Hedges
and Nathaniel Lowe, with hopes of getting out of his dry spell.
"Yesterday I talked with Hedgey and Lowe, and I told them, 'bro, I feel so so comfortable at the plate, but I don't have the result...' and they gave me confidence...," Rocchio said. "I didn't have a very good second half. [But] the most important [thing]: keep working hard, believing the process."
After tying the game, the Guardians would end up taking back the lead with a go-ahead solo home run in the ninth. Rocchio, yet again, was the guy who delivered.
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On the first pitch of the inning, Rocchio saw a 94 mph fastball and sent it to deep left field.
The crowd roared, the Tigers' broadcast sat in disappointment and the Guardians grabbed the series opener in style.
While the 25-year-old shortstop stole the show, Cleveland also received an incredible performance from the bullpen. After turning from Allen early, Slade Cecconi, Craig Yoho, Erik Sabrowski and Cade Smith all kept the Tigers' offense on their heels, giving Rocchio that opportunity to win the outing.
But the team wasn't done there.
They had another comeback in mind.
Game two would commence just a few hours later, with Tigers starter Andrew Sears controlling the game well. He pitched 5.2 innings, allowing just four hits, two walks and one earned run, striking out four batters along the way.
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The Tigers ended up scoring two runs in the third and one in the fifth, before the Guardians came back and cut the deficit to one in the sixth.
From there, both sides cooled off, and it seemed like the Guardians' magic may be over for the night.
But then, rookie infielder Travis Bazzana entered the contest to pinch-hit for Chase DeLauter, who exited the contest with a right wrist sprain.
He would pop out in his first at-bat of the night, continuing his unfortunate cold streak. Like Rocchio, he hadn't done too well offensively since the midway point of the year
. However, in his eighth-inning appearance at the plate, he would silence any doubters.
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After Steven Kwan walked to begin the frame, he would smack a two-run shot to center field, tying up the game at three.
The two sides battled back and forth for the next few innings, with neither squad able to get ahead of the other. They then entered extra innings.
Hunter Gaddis, who pitched the ninth, came out and struck out two in the 10th and didn't allow anyone to get home. He would give the Guardians a chance to repeat their earlier efforts, and while Rocchio wouldn't answer the call, his counterpart would.
Bazzana stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th with two outs on the board and Rocchio at third, getting himself into a 0-2 count quickly. He then sat back, stayed patient, and waited for a pitch he liked.
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Seeing a 96 mph cutter, Bazzana sliced a single into left-center field to walk off the Tigers and send Rocchio past home plate.
And for the first time since 1984, the Guardians recorded back-to-back walk-offs.
The Guardians will look to keep this hot streak going on Saturday, Sept. 5, as they take on the Tigers at 6:10 p.m. EST for game three of the series.
With a spot in the 2026 postseason on the line
, they'll look to repeat the incredible feats they pulled off on Friday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/guardians/onsi as Back-to-Back Walk-Off Wins Lift Guardians Past Tigers in Key Division Series
.
