Just Baseball Highlight Reel: Angels Beat Red Sox in Extra Inning Thriller

Two doubleheaders made for an action-packed Wednesday in Major League Baseball, and it did not disappoint. Plenty of good games all around the slate, but none better than the one that took place in Boston. I would be remiss not to start Wednesday’s Highlight Reel with these words: May the Fourth be with you.

Angels Win Thriller At Fenway

There is simply not enough space in this article for all the highlights from this game. It went back-and-forth all night long, starting with a Trevor Story two-run double. Max Stassi tied it at two with a bomb over the Green Monster, before Story smacked another double to retake the lead.

Then Anthony Rendon snuck one out over the Monster to tie the game back up at three. The Red Sox seemed to have things locked up when Xander Bogaerts launched a two-run homer to deep left to give them a 4-3 lead.

However, the Angels had yet another answer. This time it came via Jared Walsh, who we will see again later. It was as dramatic as it could be—two outs, bottom nine, full count— and Walsh delivered an RBI single to tie the game and send it to extras.

Then in the tenth it all happened for LA. They absolutely destroyed Matt Barnes, notching four runs on two hits and a walk off of him. Taylor Ward delivered the boom, a two-run homer as he continues his incredible start to the season.

They were not done, as they got all the way back around to Walsh who launched a three-run homer to cap off a six-run 10th and make it 10-4 Angels. The Sox got one back in their half, but fall to an extremely disappointing 10-15 on the season.

Diamondbacks 8, Marlins 7

This has been a crazy series with every game being decided by one run. Wednesday’s game was the most wild, as the Marlins took an early 1-0 lead on a rare home run by Jon Berti. Following the first inning, Madison Bumgarner was ejected and had to be restrained by teammates and coaches after an incident with the umpires.

The Marlins took advantage of the ejection, scoring two in the next inning and opening up a 3-0 lead. However, starter Elieser Hernandez gave it all back and more by allowing five runs in the fourth inning.

With three already in, Daulton Varsho crushed a two-run homer to center field to make it 5-3. The D-Backs added again to swell the lead to 6-3, before the Marlins finally began to answer. They scored two in the seventh on back-to-back home runs by Berti and Jesús Aguilar to get back within a run.

The Marlins then tied it up in the eighth on a Bryan De La Cruz single, then Jazz Chisholm Jr. scored on a wild pitch to take the lead. The Marlins had been gifted a game, given it away and stolen it right back all in eight innings. And in the ninth inning, they managed to give it away again.

Anthony Bender has been rocky in the ninth all year and Wednesday was no different. He allowed a one-out single, then Pavin Smith delivered a monstrous moonshot to take the lead. It is a terrible loss for Miami that finishes off a disastrous sweep at the hands of the Diamondbacks.

Tigers 3, Pirates 2 (Game 1)

These two teams played a doubleheader after a rainout Tuesday. Not really a lot to report from this one. Neither starter was great, there were no home runs and there was not really a stand out performance. Javier Báez delivered the big hit in the game, a two-run single down 2-1 that give the Tigers a lead they would not look back from. He also made some tremendous defensive plays—as he usually does—including this sliding play that robbed Daniel Vogelbach of a hit.

Pirates 7, Tigers 2 (Game 2)

The Pirates got the Tigers back in the second game of the afternoon in big fashion. The teams were tied 2-2 after six, then Pittsburgh scored two in the seventh to take the lead. The Pirates used small ball to take the lead, with the first run scored on a wild pitch. They then tacked on another via a sac-fly. They blew it wide open in the ninth thanks to a Daniel Vogelbach home run. The win moves Pittsburgh to a surprising 10-14, while Detroit falls to a very disappointing 8-15.

Padres 5, Guardians 4 (Game 1)

The second doubleheader of the day took place in Cleveland. The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the first, then opened it up to 3-0 on a home run by Manny Machado in the third, his fifth of the season.

Mike Clevinger returned to action for the first time since Tommy John surgery and he did it against his old team. He was not great, surrendering three runs on three hits and four walks in 4 2/3 innings.

Either way, it was great to see one of the game’s great pitchers back on the hill. The Guardians tied it up with one in the third and two in the fifth, as both Josh Naylor and Steven Kwan stayed hot. Austin Nola gave the Padres the lead with a double in the sixth and they added another later that inning. Cleveland got a run in the seventh but came no closer.

Guardians 6, Padres 5 (Game 2)

The Padres got out to a 3-0 lead in the second game on a two-run double by Eric Hosmer, who then came around to score. The Guardians began to claw back, cutting it to 3-2, before the Padres pulled away again and opened up a 5-2 lead.

That was until the eighth inning when the Guardians pulled out the small ball. They tied the game on three-straight singles, first by Andres Giménez, then Austin Hedges and finally Josh Naylor.

Both teams went scoreless in the ninth, and the Padres were held off the board in the 10th. Then in the Cleveland half, with two on and nobody out, Steven Kwan lined a single to right and brought Owen Miler around to score and deliver a walk-off victory.

Cardinals 10, Royals 0

The St. Louis offense has been sputtering to this point but Wednesday may have represented a breakout. The Cardinals shelled the Royals and were lead by their big guns, Tyler O’Neill and Nolan Arenado.

They scored five in the first inning, the first three of which came on a homer by Arenado, then added two in seventh, one in the eighth and two more in the ninth. O’Neill also had a home run and the pair drove in eight of their team’s 10 runs.

Braves 9, Mets 2

The Braves desperately needed a series split in this one and managed to salvage it. Tylor Megill was tremendous for his first five innings, striking out nine. However, he lost things in the sixth and the Braves piled on the Mets.

Megill managed to record just one out, allowing three runs before four more came across against the Mets bullpen. The Braves spread the wealth in this one as just two players had multiple hits, one of which was Adam Duvall. He had he hit that opened the game up, a two-run double that stretched the lead to 3-0.

Astros 7, Mariners 2

The Astros completed a sweep of the Mariners in which they outscored their division rivals a combined 14-2. The sweep completely flips the perception of each team, as Seattle is now 12-13 while Houston is 14-11. Matt Brash struggled again and his ERA is now up to 7.65 after allowing four runs on six hits and four walks.

Alex Bregman carried the load for Houston in this one, driving in three runs on three hits and a double.

Rays 3, Athletics 0

Both starters went six-or-more scoreless in this one and the game remained without a run until the eighth. Corey Kluber went six shutout, allowing just three hits and a walk while striking out seven. Frankie Montas dealt seven of his own innings without allowing a run, giving up four hits and a walk while striking out six.

Finally in the eighth, Manuel Margot put a pair of runs on the board with a two-run single. Tampa Bay added another on sac fly and cruised home.

Rangers 2, Phillies 1

This game went scoreless for even longer than the one in Oakland!

Both teams could not score for all nine innings, and the game went to extras tied at zilch. Zach Wheeler finally found his form in 2022, twirling the 7.2 scoreless and racking up seven strikeouts. The Phillies have to be hoping that is the turning point in his season.

Finally in the 10th, Brad Miller got revenge on his former team. He delivered a two-run single and the lead to his Rangers, which turned out to be important as the Phillies got one back in the 10th. It was not enough for the win, but was good enough for the Rangers to sweep the short two-game set.

Orioles 9, Twins 4

Wednesday was very simply not Dylan Bundy’s day. Cedric Mullins got the party started with a two-run bomb, his third of the season. It was just beginning.

The O’s drove in two more in the third on singles by Austin Hays and Rougned Odor. Then Ramón Urías really made it ugly with a two-run bomb of his own that grew the lead to 6-0.

The Twins got four back in the fourth inning, including a solo home run by Carlos Correa. However, the Orioles answered right back in the next half with three more off Bundy. Ryan Mountcastle put the cherry on top with a double to make it 9-4. All in all, Bundy allowed nine runs on 11 hits and two walks.

Blue Jays 2, Yankees 1

The Yankees 11-game winning streak finally came to an end at the hands of the Jays as Toronto salvaged a win from the series. Yusei Kikuchi was great for Toronto, allowed just one run on three hits and a walk in six innings, striking out seven along the way. As games go, this one was pretty simple with just three scoring plays, the first of which was a Matt Chapman home run.

Joey Gallo had a response, launching his third home run of the season the other way to tie the game up.

Toronto had a response as well, this one coming via Vladdy in the next half inning. He roped an RBI single to drive in a run and it was all the Jays needed. Kikuchi and four relievers went scoreless the rest of the way, allowing just three base runners. Despite the loss, the Yankees leave Toronto with a 2.5 game lead in the AL East.

White Sox 4, Cubs 3

The Sox take an early advantage in the Crosstown Cup with the win, taking both games at Wrigley Field this week. The Sox went up 1-0, but the Cubs answered back on a two-run bomb by Nico Hoerner that gave them the lead.

The ball just kept flying, as Patrick Wisdom clubbed one for the Cubs to make it 3-1. Then Leury García brought it back within a run with a homer of his own.

The Sox kept the momentum rolling and used a Gavin Sheets single to tie in the fourth and an AJ Pollock single in the sixth to take the lead. Down 4-3 and with a runner on in the sixth, Willson Contreras roped a ball to deep center that should have at least tied the game. Instead, Luis Robert crashed into the brick wall behind the ivy to make a tremendous catch and preserve the lead. For the toughness he showed, he earns the play of the night.

Brewers 18, Reds 4

I feel like I say this in a lot of these, but the Reds are really bad. Like, historically bad. They are 3-21 through 24 games and hit a new low Wednesday, getting obliterated by the Brewers. Cincinnati actually led in this game, 2-0 in the first inning. \

They immediately gave it back as Milwaukee scored two in their half of the first. Then in the third, Rowdy Tellez got an epic night going with a 453-foot grand slam to make it 6-2.

Tellez homered again in the sixth, his third hit of the night and drove in his fifth and sixth runs. Then in the eighth, he drove in two more with a double to cap off a four-hit, eight-RBI outing. He also hit two of the top five longest home runs Wednesday. The Brewers put up four in the seventh and five in the eighth to just absolutely pour it on the poor Reds.

Rockies 5, Nationals 2

The Nationals, another team that is just simply not good. Patrick Corbin has not been either, and his struggles continued again Wednesday. He somehow managed to get through eight innings, probably because the Nationals were just trying to salvage the bullpen. He was not great, allowing five runs on nine hits. All five runs allowed came in the fourth inning and two came across on a triple by Connor Joe.

Dodgers 9, Giants 1

The Giants got out to an early lead on a Brandon Crawford homer, the only damage they did all night. This lineup is really struggling with some of their COVID absentees, and they have just not been the same team for about a week. The Dodgers took the lead with two in the fourth with a Will Smith single providing the go-ahead run.

LA added one in the sixth but really blew it open in the seventh, piling four more on the Giants. Freddie Freeman tripled in a pair to push the lead to 7-1 and really stick it to their in-state rivals. San Francisco has now dropped five of their last six games and fall to 14-10 on the year.