Cleveland. — The Cleveland Guardians unleashed their offense at the right moment and defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-1 at Progressive Field, tying the American League Wild Card Series and forcing a decisive Game 3.
The great protagonist was Brayan Rocchio, who in the eighth inning hit a solo home run to take the lead, igniting the euphoria of the home crowd. The hit made history by becoming the first go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later in a postseason elimination game for Cleveland.
The Cleveland crowd was going BONKERS for that go-ahead homer!
The offensive power was the key of the night. George Valera opened the scoreboard with a home run in the first inning against Casey Mize, while Bo Naylor sealed the game with a three-run homer in the same eighth inning against Brant Hurter, the first of his career in the postseason.
The Guardians’ bullpen also shone: Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Jakob Junis, and Cade Smith combined to pitch 4.1 scoreless innings, backing up Tanner Bibee‘s start.
With this result, the Guardians keep alive a run that seemed improbable after an agonizing qualification in September. The series will be defined this Thursday in Cleveland, where both teams will seek to advance to the American League Division Series.
The great protagonist was Brayan Rocchio, who in the eighth inning hit a solo home run to take the lead, igniting the euphoria of the home crowd. The hit made history by becoming the first go-ahead home run in the eighth inning or later in a postseason elimination game for Cleveland.
