Rookie Travis Bazzana belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the Cleveland Guardians a 5-3 comeback win over the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.
Bazzana’s one-out blast off Dennis Santana to right-center field traveled 414 feet, scoring Steven Kwan. It was the first career walk-off hit for Bazzana, an All-Star second baseman, as Cleveland rallied from three runs down in the final two innings to salvage a split of the interleague twinbill.
All-Star Cade Smith (3-1), the Guardians’ closer, pitched a clean ninth with two strikeouts for the victory. Pittsburgh’s Santana (2-5) recorded only one out and allowed two runs on three hits.
Cleveland pulled into a virtual tie for first place in the American League Central Division with the Chicago White Sox.
The Pirates had their four-game winning streak snapped and are one game behind the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins for the third and final National League wild-card spot.
The Guardians trailed 3-0 before scoring three times in the eighth, all of the runs charged to Brandon Eisert. Chase DeLauter singled in Kwan, prompting Pirates manager Don Kelly to call on closer Gregory Soto.
Soto threw a wild pitch to bring in Brayan Rocchio, then gave up an RBI single to Kahlil Watson that plated DeLauter with the tying run. Kwan finished with three hits and scored twice in the final two frames.
In the first game of the day/night twinbill, Esmerlyn Valdez and Jacob Gonzalez each hit two-run homers off Gavin Williams as the Pirates rolled to a 7-1 victory.
Pittsburgh scored single runs in the second, third and fourth against Logan Allen in the night contest. Ryan O’Hearn walked and came home on Brandon Lowe’s sacrifice fly, Esmerlyn Valdez doubled in Nick Gonzales, and Lowe scored on a throwing error by catcher Austin Hedges.
Right-hander Khristian Curtis made his major league debut with five scoreless innings of bulk relief for the Pirates. Starter Mason Montgomery tossed one inning with one walk and one strikeout.
Rain delayed the first pitch by 1 hour and 15 minutes, and accompanying winds had the unwanted effect of returning smoke from the Canadian wildfires to northeast Ohio.
The latter factor cost Cleveland a run in the third when Valdez hit a high pop just beyond second base, but the Guardians couldn’t find the ball in the haze, turning it into a 197-foot double that scored Gonzales.
Allen made his first start of the season, lasting 3 1/3 innings and allowing three runs (two earned). He gave up six hits, walked three and struck out three.
–Field Level Media
