Rocchio of Guardians becomes 6th player with grand slam and walk-off HR in same game

CLEVELAND (AP) – Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio became the sixth player in MLB history to hit a grand slam and a walk-off home run in the same game on Friday, leading the team to a 7-6 win over the Detroit Tigers.

Key points

• The 25-year-old Venezuelan joined George Kelly of the New York Giants (June 14, 1924); Hank Greenberg of Detroit (Aug.
• The Guardians scored the final six runs of the game.
• Rocchio is in his fourth season, all with the Guardians.

What happened

Rocchio homered leading off the ninth inning after connecting on a tying grand slam in the fourth, rallying Cleveland to a win in the first game of a split doubleheader. The Guardians scored the final six runs of the game.

For context, the 25-year-old Venezuelan joined George Kelly of the New York Giants (June 14, 1924); Hank Greenberg of Detroit (Aug. 19, 1938); Minnie Minoso of the Chicago White Sox (April 19, 1960); Otto Velez of the Toronto Blue Jays (May 4, 1980); and Jack Clark of the Boston Red Sox (July 31, 1991) in the exclusive club.

Kelly, Greenberg and Minoso are Hall of Famers. Rocchio is in his fourth season, all with the Guardians. This person are battling for their third consecutive postseason berth.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around rocchio of Guardians becomes 6th player with grand slam and walk point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.