Kirk McCarty stepped in to help the Guardians beat the Twins in a 15-inning game.
What a wild day of baseball for both the Guardians and the Twins!
Doubleheaders can already be chaotic enough with managing bullpens and setting lineups so players get enough rest. Throw in a 15-inning game in the second game in that mix and that's a recipe for a lot to go wrong.
But the Guardians had a lot of players step up to get the DH sweep over the Twins.
One of the heroes who helped the Guardians secure the extra innings win was Kirk McCarty who came in the game to pitch the final three innings. He struck out three batters in those last three innings and only gave up one walk and two hits.
McCarty did give up one run while out on the mound. But considering the extra innings rule that has a runner starting on second with no outs, to pitch three innings in this situation and only give up one run is not something to be ashamed about.
When asked about this rule after the game, McCarty joked, "I've pitched with a guy on second a lot in my career, so it wasn't too bad."
He went on to say, "It's odd to go out there with him out there already, but you know you have a job to do and it's pitch in a high leverage situation and try to keep them from scoring."
Tito also realized how much of a hero McCarty was in that wild finish. The first thing he said about McCarty when he got to the podium after the game was, "He saved our bacon."
I couldn't sum it up any better.
McCarty has always been there when this team needs him. His relief appearances in Boston and Tampa from earlier this year immediately come to mind.
He's a reliable arm in the bullpen and the Guardians wouldn't have been able to win a 15-inning game without him.
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