Brayan Rocchio came up with another clutch hit in the postseason with the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning as the Guardians evened their AL Wild Card Series against the Detroit Tigers with a 6-1 victory in Game 2 on Wednesday.
“It was huge, an 0-2 count and he was ready to fire,” manager Stephen Vogt said of Rocchio’s blast. “It was a frustrating day offensively for us. Two hits leading into the 8th. For our guys to explode and get separation felt good.”
Bo Naylor also went deep in the eighth as the Guardians put up five runs to take control of the game.
George Valera also homered to force a deciding game in the best-of-three series.
The winner Thursday faces the Seattle Mariners in a Division Series. No team has lost Game 1 of a Wild Card Series and advanced since the expanded round began in 2022.
Javier Báez had two hits and an RBI for the Tigers, who were 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position and stranded 15 runners.
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