Yasmani Grandal breaks scoreless tie with extra-inning walk-off homer
Take a look around the league with Big League Stew’s daily wrap up. We’ll hit on all of the biggest moments from the day that you may have missed, while providing highlights, photos and interesting stats.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal didn’t start Sunday’s game, but he ended it. In the bottom of the 13th inning, Grandal came off the bench to pinch hit against Evan Marshall.
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On the third pitch of the at-bat, Grandal crushed an 87 mph change-up out to left center for a walk-off home run. It was the first walk-off homer of Grandal’s career.
Grandal replaced A.J. Ellis in the 10th inning. He walked in his first plate appearance and hit the walk-off blast his second time up, securing the 1-0 victory and giving the Dodgers their fourth straight win.
Both teams received great performances from their starters. Chase Anderson and Brett Anderson each tossed six scoreless innings a piece. Chase allowed just two hits, with seven strikeouts. Brett gave up five hits, with four strikeouts.
In the end, the Dodgers bullpen was better. The club held Arizona to just four hits over seven scoreless innings. They struck out nine hitters.
Los Angeles will begin a series with the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday.
YANKEES SWEEP RED SOX AT FENWAY
The New York Yankees have to be happy after their latest series. The club completed a sweep of the division rival Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on Sunday.
Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Garnder did a lot of the damage. Ellsbury reached base five times against his former club during the contest. After singling in his first four at-bats, the Red Sox hit Ellsbury with a pitch his fifth time up. Both benches were warned following the incident.
Gardner picked up two hits during the game, including a three-run homer in the sixth. Mark Teixeira also added a home run, his ninth, in the first inning. The two-run shot gave the Yankees an early lead which they would never relinquish.
The Red Sox did make things interesting in the ninth, however. Andrew Miller came on with a three-run lead, and wasn’t his usual, dominant self. Miller walked two batters, and loaded the bases after a throwing error by Chase Headley.
With David Ortiz representing the winning run, Miller managed to induce a fly out, securing the 8-5 victory. It was Miller’s 10th save of the season.
The Yankees are currently 16-9, and sit atop the American League East.
HOUSTON WINS 10TH STRAIGHT GAME
The Houston Astros refuse to lose. The club picked up its 10th straight victory Sunday, beating the Seattle Mariners 7-6.
Houston jumped out to an early lead after a three-run homer by Evan Gattis, but the team couldn’t hold on as the game progressed. After scoring four runs in the seventh inning, the Mariners had knotted things up at six.
With the game tied, Gattis was able to play the hero. He knocked his second home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving the team a lead. Luke Gregerson locked things down, and the Astros won 7-6.
With the win, the Astros are off to their best start in team history.
Houston will look to extend their streak to 11 games against the Texas Rangers on Monday.
WONG’S WALK-OFF WINS IT
St. Louis Cardinals’ second baseball Kolten Wong came up big Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Wong ended a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 14th, sending an 86 mph changeup out to right for a walk-off shot. Wong was a constant thorn in the Pirates’ side throughout the contest. He went 3 for 4, with one run scored and one RBI.
Wong didn’t even enter the game until the eighth inning, when he replaced pitcher Randy Choate.
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While Wong’s hit didn’t get Michael Wacha the win, the 23-year-old posted another strong start. Wacha allowed five hits over 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out two during the contest.
Wacha was in line for the win, but Trevor Rosenthal couldn’t hold a one-run lead in the ninth. With the win, St. Louis improved to 18-6 on the season.
Want to see more from Sunday’s slate of games? Check out our scoreboard.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
