The Cleveland Guardians delivered another gut punch to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, cruising to a 5-1 win in the first game of a doubleheader and then winning in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 15th inning in Game 2.
The game lasted 5 hours, 24 minutes. It marked the longest game in terms of innings this season in Major League Baseball, and was one inning shy of tying the record for the longest game since the league implemented the runner at second base rule in extra innings.
Minnesota is now seven games behind Cleveland in the AL Central, and with only 18 games to go their hopes are all but gone. Even if the Twins win Sunday and Monday in Cleveland, they’ll still be five games back with time running out.
“It’s hard to swallow being at this point in the season and being this far out,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I know we’re going to go out there and continue to fight in every possible way from today until the last regular season game, and then we’ll see what happens.”
The winning run scored when Amed Rosario, who went 8-for-13 with 6 RBIs in the doubleheader, ripped a ground ball up the middle that deflected off shortstop Jermaine Polacio’s glove and rolled into center field.
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The loss Saturday night was even more gut-wrenching because the Twins rallied from a 5-0 deficit with five runs in the eighth inning to tie the game. The comeback was highlighted with a two-run single by Gio Urshela, a sac-fly from Gary Sanchez and then the game-tying two-run homer by Nick Gordon.
Cleveland jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the strength of Amed Rosario, who crushed a three-run homer in the fifth inning and added an RBI single in the seventh.
The Guardians had five runs before the Twins even had one hit. Cleveland starter Konnor Pilkington didn’t allow a hit until Jose Miranda ripped a single with two outs in the sixth inning.
The Twins and Guardians play again Sunday at 12:10 pm
.