A Sunday afternoon thunder storm that caused a lengthy rain delay at Progressive Field merely delayed the inevitable. Once play resumed and extra innings were forced, the Indians finished off a sweep of the Pirates in dramatic fashion.
The Tribe and the Buccos were tied at 2 runs apiece entering the bottom of the 11th frame. After Travis Hafner flew out to left, Shin-Soo Choo grounded a base-hit through the right side of the infield. Choo promptly stole 2nd base, and Pittsburgh decided to intentionally walk Carlos Santana. The move made sense on paper because Santana has significant power, and the man on deck was Cord Phelps, a rookie. However, Phelps made the Pirates pay by launching the 2nd pitch he saw over the right field wall. The clutch blast, the 1st of Phelps' major league career, sparked a wild home plate celebration as the few fans who remained made their presence felt.
The Cleveland bullpen's exceptional performance set the stage for Phelps' heroics. Following Justin Masterson's relatively short outing, Chad Durbin, Rafael Perez, Vinnie Pestano, Chris Perez, Joe Smith, and Tony Sipp combined to hurl 6 scoreless innings.
The Bucs jumped on top when they tallied twice in the home half of the 1st, but that lead was short-lived.
Santana and Phelps helped the Indians even the score in the 2nd. Santana crushed a solo homer deep into the right field bleachers, and Phelps doubled to the right-center gap. Phelps eventually crossed home plate courtesy of a double play.
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| Phelps (35) will remember this moment for the rest of his life |
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