Brayan Rocchio hit a two-run, walk-off homer with one out in the ninth inning to lift the host Cleveland Guardians a 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night.
Rocchio’s towering, 380-foot drive off Grant Taylor (4-2) hit the foul pole in right, also scoring pinch runner Daniel Schneemann as Cleveland’s entire team mobbed both players at the plate. It was Rocchio’s second career walk-off home run.
Tim Herrin (1-3) retired all three hitters in the top of the ninth for the victory, while Taylor gave up two runs in 1 1/3 innings as Chicago manager Will Venable was using the right-hander in a six-out save situation.
Rocchio drove in three runs for the Guardians, who pulled into a virtual tie with the White Sox atop the American League Central. Cleveland has played two more games and has one more win and loss.
Chicago had taken a 5-2 lead after Kyle Teel’s two-RBI double in the fifth and Chase Meidroth’s two-run homer in the sixth, both off Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi.
The Guardians pulled within 5-3 in the sixth on Chase DeLauter’s RBI groundout that plated Gabriel Arias, then sliced their deficit in half in the seventh on David Fry’s second career pinch-hit homer off Brandon Eisert.
Cecconi gave up five runs on nine hits in five-plus innings, walking one with three strikeouts. The right-hander was chased in the sixth on Meidroth’s 349-foot blast to right that scored Braden Montgomery and made it 5-2.
Teel’s two-run double was one of four two-baggers for Chicago in the fifth, when it scored three times to pull ahead 3-2. Tristan Peters, Sam Antonacci and Miguel Vargas all doubled and later scored.
Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the third on Travis Bazzana’s one-out double and Rocchio’s bases-loaded walk, both against White Sox starter Davis Martin. Patrick Bailey led off with a double and scored, while Bazzana came home on the free pass.
Martin — tied for the AL lead with nine wins — worked a season-low-tying 3 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on six hits. The right-hander walked five without a strikeout in his final start before the All-Star teams are announced.
Antonacci of Chicago and DeLauter were both caught stealing in the first by the opposing starting pitchers after singling.
Guardians rookie left fielder Cooper Ingle dropped a routine fly ball in the second, allowing Colson Montgomery to reach base.
Two nights earlier, Ingle threw the ball into the stands with two outs against the Texas Rangers, allowing the go-ahead run to score in a 4-2 home loss.
