CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – For the second night in the row the Indians walked off with a blast.
Bobby Bradley smashed a solo home run to right center to lead off the bottom of the ninth giving the Indians a dramatic 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals Friday night at Progressive Field.
“That was my first walk-off homer, I think, ever,” Bradley said. “I’m still trying to process all of the emotions.”
It was Bradley’s 10th home run of the season and his first career walk-off hit.
Indians manager Terry Francona was exiled to his office to watch Bradley's blast after being ejected in the bottom of the eighth for arguing a baserunning blunder that got called a double play at third base.
He heard Progressive Field rumble, prompting him to quickly find the nearest TV.
“Because when you come in here, everything is delayed by about eight or 10 seconds,” he said. "I ran to the TV and Bobby is standing there in the batter’s box. Then about two seconds later, I saw why.
"That was a very nice little surprise.”
Cleveland, who improved to 44-42, walked off for the seventh time this season and the second time in as many nights after Franmil Reyes ended their nine-game losing streak with a three-run homer in the ninth on Thursday.
“It’s just baseball at the end of the day and sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t,” Bradley, who also homered Thursday, said. "And unfortunately during the nine-game streak, things weren’t going our way, but we never gave up. That’s where we’re at now, just staying in that mindset that we’ve got to fight.”
The late fireworks complimented a tremendous start for the Indians’ young right-handed pitcher Triston McKenzie, who was virtually untouchable Friday night.
McKenzie dazzled for seven shutout innings as he kept the Royals off balance all night allowing just one hit and striking out nine.
“That was incredibly encouraging on a number of fronts,” Francona said. “He held his stuff. He pounded the zone. That was, gollie, man, we’re looking for reasons to be encouraged. If you can’t be by that...that was so exciting.”
According to MLB stats, at 23 years and 341 days, McKenzie is the youngest Indians pitcher to throw 7 innings with one of fewer hits and at least nine strikeouts since Dennis Eckersly in 1977.
It was the longest outing of McKenzie’s young career and arguably his best despite not factoring in the decision.
“I felt I was probably the most in-zone as I have been all season,” McKenzie said. “I just forced them to put the bat on the ball.”
Royals starter Brad Keller was equal to the task.
Keller limited Cleveland to just one run and four hits in 7 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and four walks.
Bradley Zimmer got the Indians on the board first with a one-out RBI single to score Franmil Reyes, who walked along with Bobby Bradley to begin the bottom of the second, for a 1-0 lead.
The game stayed that way until the eighth.
Emmanuel Clase relieved McKenzie and allowed a one-out 427-foot solo home run to Jorge Soler, his seventh of the season, to tie the game at 1.
In the bottom of the inning, with runners at the corners, one of the most bizarre double plays you’ll ever see short-circuited Cleveland’s threat to regain the lead.
Amed Rosario hit a ground ball to third. Daniel Johnson, who ended an 0-13 skid with a bloop single to left and went to second on a throwing error, got caught between third and home but got back to third base. Cesar Hernandez, who also singled, was called out for trying to occupy the same base as Johnson simultaneously – an automatic out by rule. Johnson was then called out for being caught off the base for a very unusual 5-2 double play.
Francona ran from the dugout and was ejected as he got more animated arguing the call.
“I think they got it wrong,” Francona said. “They’re good umpires, but I think they didn’t get the play right.”
Bradley's blast made the call, and baserunning blunder, inconsequential.