Rays 6, Rockies 5: Who Knew You Could Have Two Walkoffs In One Game

What an interesting night of baseball.

We saw many well-struck balls resulting in outs, and weaker contacts turned into hits tonight. We saw Isaac Paredes at shortstop, an inning the Rays mishandled, a botched replay decision, and an extra inning walkoff.

Here’s the breakdown:

The scoreboard remained static, and no runners advanced beyond third base through the first two innings.

The scene shifted in the bottom of the third when Randy Arozarena’s solo shot landed in Randyland, marking his 20th home run and giving the Rays a 1-0 lead.

The Rockies struck back in the fifth, as Elias Diaz hit a solo homer to left, tying it at 1-1. That same inning, Brenton Doyle caught Josh Lowe’s line drive spectacularly, preventing a leadoff double. Then, Christian Bethancourt doubled, followed by Yandy Diaz’s RBI single, making it 2-1 for the Rays.

The Rockies barely had to try in the sixth, scoring four runs from three hits against three Rays pitchers. Aaron Civale’s promising start faltered after hitting Charlie Blackmon and allowing a single to Ezequiel Tovar. Colin Poche took over, quickly walking Ryan McMahon, but managed two strikeouts. A two-run single from Elias Diaz shifted the lead to the Rockies, 3-2. Following another walk, Andrew Kittredge replaced Poche. After Kittredge hit Elehuris Montero, an RBI single by Doyle made it 4-2 while also ending the inning when Jurickson Profar was tagged out at home plate.

However, the Rays retaliated in their half of the sixth with Isaac Paredes’s 25th homer of the season.

The seventh and eighth innings were relatively quiet. But the bottom of the 9th was a rollercoaster.

After Curtis Mead struck out, consecutive singles from Jose Siri and Josh Lowe shifted the momentum. In a bold move, both successfully stole bases, putting them in prime positions. A walk to Rene Pinto set the stage for Yandy Diaz, whose two-run single tied the game at 5-5. The drama escalated when Randy Arozarena was hit, filling the bases. Luke Raley’s ground ball led to a force-out decision at home and Raley being called single on a close play at first, which survived a Rockies challenge.

Then came a moment that would have been controversial. Isaac Paredes grounded to third and was ruled out at first. The decision stood despite replay showing Elehuris Montero’s foot was not on first base. One can’t help but question the point of replays if they fail in such crucial moments.

Pete Fairbanks seamlessly retired the Rockies in the tenth on eight pitches.

Then, in the bottom of the tenth, with Osleivis Basabe on second, Brandon Lowe’s decisive RBI-single brought Basabe home, ending the game 6-5 in favor of the Rays.

This game underscored the Rays’ tenacity, proving a game isn’t over until that final out, even if it takes two walk-offs..