The pitching duel between Johnny Cueto and David Price on Wednesday night became a battle of the bullpens that lasted well into Thursday morning. It ended on the familiar sight of Todd Frazier rounding the bases. His 13th-inning walk-off grand slam clinched his second two-homer game in as many nights, sending the Reds to an 8-4 win over the Tigers.
“To win it like that man was pretty cool,” Frazier said. “One I’ll never forget for sure.”
The last time a player hit a walk-off grand slam in Major League Baseball was on May 29 when Padres catcher Derek Norris did so against the Pirates. The last Reds player to hit a walk-off grand slam was on Sept. 27, 2014, when Ramon Santiago, a former Tiger, did so, also against the Pirates.
Miguel Cabrera’s three-run homer off Cueto brought the Tigers a sixth-inning lead, erasing what had been a 2-0 Reds advantage built in part on Frazier’s solo homer. It also brought a rainstorm, knocking out both starters with a one-hour, 14-minute delay.
Chris Dominguez tripled home Brayan Pena once play resumed to tie the game off Alex Wilson. Tyler Collins put the Tigers back in front with a pinch-hit home run off Ryan Mattheus leading off the eighth, but Jay Bruce’s two-out double off the left-field fence and Pena’s single off the second-base bag tied it up again in the bottom half.
What looked at first like a game-winning double from Pena in the 10th became an inning-ending out at the plate when J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler executed a relay throw home from the right-field corner, sending this game deep into extras.
Skip Schumaker’s leadoff single in the 13th and Billy Hamilton’s walk off Ian Krol brought on closer Joakim Soria, who was a strike away from escaping a bases-loaded jam before paying for a hanging breaking ball to Frazier.
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