CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) - It was a bittersweet day at Progressive Field.
The good? The Cleveland Indians won in walk-off fashion over the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 on Oscar Mercado’s 2-run home run in the second game of a Thursday doubleheader at Progressive Field.
The bad? Chicago won the first game by a 7-1 decision to earn the visitors their first AL Central title since 2008 – which also eliminated the Indians from playoff contention.
GAME 1
Most of the first game's scoring came via the long ball, as both teams combined for six home runs – four of them from Chicago, with two of them from Sox shortstop Tim Anderson.
The contest, made up from a June 2 rainout, saw most of the White Sox's scoring in the first two innings off Indians right-hander Aaron Civale (11-5).
Anderson led off the game with a solo shot off Civale to right-center field and was part of a 6-run outing Chicago dropped on the Tribe in the top of the 2nd. Luis Robert and Eloy Jiménez each hit a solo home run to lead off the frame, and Anderson added a three-run bomb later in the inning.
Robert, in his second plate appearance of the inning, hit a 2-run single that shut the door on Civale’s short outing (1.2 IP, 7 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts, 4 home runs).
Cleveland did manage runs on two solo homers – one from Austin Hedges in the bottom of the 3rd (Hedges’ 8th home run of the season) off Reynaldo Lopez; and another from Bradley Zimmer (his 8th of the season) in the bottom of the 4th off Lopez (3.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs, 4 strikeouts).
Chicago right-hander Aaron Bummer picked up the win in relief, advancing to 4-5.
GAME 2
The second game was scoreless through the first three innings, but the tie was broken in the bottom of the 4th when Jose Ramirez scored on a wild pitch by Chicago’s Mike Wright Jr., who matched Sox starter Michael Kopech (zero runs, zero hits, four strikeouts) at two innings pitched.
The Indians' 1-0 lead would last into the top of the sixth when the Sox loaded the bases with one man out on Tribe starter Zach Plesac (5.1 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts), who was then relieved by Bryan Shaw.
Shaw forced a fielder’s choice at the plate for the second out but proceeded to load the count on Chicago's Andrew Vaughn before the third baseman roped the at-bat’s tenth pitch into left field for a 2-run single. The Indians managed to force a putout via a rundown during the play, but the White Sox took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 6th inning.
But Cleveland came within inches of tying the game with one out and Bradley Zimmer on first, as Bobby Bradley roped a long fly ball to center field that bounced off the top of the yellow line, advancing Zimmer to second on what turned into a long single (Andres Gimenez pinch-ran for Bradley later in the inning). Chicago’s Matt Foster was then relieved by Jose Ruiz, who gave up a single to Yu Chang to load the bases for Cleveland.
Ruiz settled down to strike out Roberto Perez for the second out, but Owen MIller smacked his own 2-run single into center field that scored Franmil Reyes and Gimenez, who slid into home just ahead of the tag. Chicago issued a challenge on the play at home, but the call stood, and the Tribe took a 3-2 lead into the top of the 7th.
However, Indians closer Emmanuel Clase allowed three straight base hits to load the bases for Chicago, and César Hernández tied the game on a ground ball that first baseman Chang failed to field cleanly.
Clase then went strikeout-fielder’s choice-popout to escape the jam with a still-intact tie, and after Myles Straw reached base on a single in the bottom of the 7th, Mercado roped a game-winning shot down the left-field line off Ruiz – giving the Indians their eighth walk-off win of the season (fifth via a home run).
