Jack Hannahan's sudden transformation from defensive specialist to clutch hitter began a few weeks ago, shortly after the birth of his 1st child.
It continued on Wednesday night as the Indians' 3rd baseman single-handedly led the Indians to a 3rd consecutive win.
Hannahan slugged a pair of solo home runs, the 2nd of which hit high off the right field foul pole and tied the game at 3 runs apiece in the bottom of the 6th inning.
Following Hannahan's awe-inspiring blast, the contest became a battle of the bullpens, and that proved to be bad news for the hitters. The Athletics' relief corps retired 24 consecutive batters at 1 point, while the Tribe pen escaped several jams.
Finally, in the last of the 16th, Jim Thome's crisp, 1-out single to left ignited a rally. Thome, who is, to be generous, a very slow runner, was replaced by Cord Phelps. Carlos Santana's single to center advanced Phelps 90 feet, and it brought Hannahan to the dish. Hannahan smashed the 3rd pitch he saw through the right side of the infield, sparking a wild finish to a long game. Phelps sprinted around 3rd base and slid across home plate a split second before Kurt Suzuki could tag the speedy pinch-runner.
Frank Herrmann pitched 4 perfect frames to net the W.
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| Hannahan slugs his 2nd homer |
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