The division and Wild Card races are heating up, and ESPN will carry two games Wednesday that will impact each standings battle.
The action began at 1:10 p.m. ET, as the White Sox and Guardians will meet at Progressive Field with first place in the AL Central on the line. At 7:10 p.m., the Orioles will look to gain ground in the AL Wild Card chase when they face the Mets at Citi Field.
Both of these series contained a tremendous amount of drama on Tuesday.
In Cleveland, the Guardians were down one run and down to their final strike when Brayan Rocchio swatted a fly ball to left field that fell for a walk-off two-run double. The 7-6 victory brought Cleveland back to within a half-game of the White Sox for the AL Central lead. The Guardians also hold a 1 1/2-game lead over the Rangers for the third AL Wild Card spot.
Cleveland hit three home runs in the victory, including two off the bat of rookie Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 Draft. He has five homers and a 1.467 OPS over his past 11 games (42 plate appearances).
Star rookie left-handed pitcher Parker Messick started the Wednesday matinee, while the White Sox went with Anthony Kay for the series finale.
The Orioles, who are three games out of the final AL Wild Card spot, were able to keep pace with the Guardians with a road win over the Mets. But they needed 11 innings and a couple of huge swings to pull it off.
The first one was provided by none other than Pete Alonso. Back in his old stomping grounds for the first time since he signed with the Orioles as a free agent this past winter, the Mets’ all-time home run leader launched a game-tying dinger in the ninth inning Tuesday.
The New York crowds have showered Alonso with cheers all series long, and they continued to do so when he thwarted his former club as it was just two outs away from a win. He even received a curtain call.
Alonso’s 300th career home run helped push the game into extras. After each team scored once in the 10th, Baltimore's Coby Mayo came through with an inside-the-park, three-run home run in the 11th. It was Mayo’s fifth homer in his previous eight games, and it proved to be enough in the O’s 7-5 triumph.
Veteran starter Chris Bassitt, another former Met, will take the ball for the Orioles as they look to complete a three-game sweep Wednesday. The 37-year-old righty will be opposed by 36-year-old right-hander Robert Stock.