What's better than a walkoff win against a division rival? How about two walkoffs on the same day?
That's exactly what happened to the Chicago White Sox on Sunday, when they finished Saturday night's delayed game against the Detroit Tigers with a walkoff, then hit another game winner in the afternoon.
Outfielder Adam Eaton completed the first walkoff with an RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the struggling White Sox a 4-3 win. Closer David Robertson was credited with the win. This game was supposed to be finished Saturday night, but heavy rain and lightning forced a Sunday morning finish.
Hours later, Nick Castellanos, Tyler Collins and Jarrod Saltalamacchia blasted a solo home run apiece for the Tigers to tie the game at four. But the White Sox would not be stopped.
MORE: Piazza, Griffey Jr. join Cooperstown legends | Fagan: Where do White Sox, Sale go from here?
Melky Cabrera singled in the bottom of the inning to score — guess who — Eaton, to win the game 5-4. Robertson, despite giving up three home runs, was once again credited with the win.
With the Chris Sale trade and tirade drama unfolding this weekend, resulting in a five-game suspension, White Sox fans at least got to enjoy two spectacular wins against their American League Central rivals.
Player of the Day:
Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Yasmany Tomas displayed some power in Sunday's 9-8 win against the Cincinnati Reds when he blasted two solo home runs while collecting three hits and scoring three runs. Tomas is now batting .259 on the season.
Highlight:
Mets outfielder Michael Conforto is back in MLB and laying out in center field:
.@mconforto8 playing center, huh?
— MLB GIFS (@MLBGIFs) July 24, 2016
That’ll play! https://t.co/lqn0AtqRYz pic.twitter.com/HltPYFi3tV
Three things to know:
— Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion hit his 195th home run since 2011 Sunday against the Seattle Mariners, which is the most of any player during that time. (Nelson Cruz has 189 and Chris Davis with 186 are the next highest). Toronto starting pitcher J.A. Happ tossed six scoreless innings with six strikeouts to improve to 13-3 with a 3.27 ERA this season.
— Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were officially inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Piazza recorded six seasons of 30-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs — the most of any catcher in MLB history. Griffey homered in eight straight games in 1993, tied for the longest streak in MLB history.
— Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve strengthened his case to win the AL MVP by collecting three hits, two home runs and six RBIs in a 13-3 win against the Los Angeles Angels. Altuve now has 17 home runs this season — more than he hit all of last season — and he's batting .360 with a .428 on-base percentage.
What's Next:
Tigers (51-48) at Red Sox (55-41) 7 p.m. ET — Boston's recently acquired NL All-Star, Drew Pomeranz (8-7, 2.83), will take the mound against Justin Verlander (9-6, 3.74), who has been dominant in his last four starts. The Red Sox continue to lead the majors in scoring.
Cardinals (52-46) at Mets (52-45) 7:10 p.m. ET — Noah Syndergaard (9-4, 2.43 ERA) will take on Carlos Martinez (9-6, 2.83 ERA) to lead off a playoff-esque series. Both teams are in need of a win as they try to gain ground on their respective division leaders.