The Cleveland Guardians win Game 2 against the Detroit Tigers, behind Brayan Rocchio's eighth-inning home run. 

Austin Hedges announced his arrival on Sunday after a dramatic, come-from-behind, extra-innings win to close out the regular season. 

“The new heavyweight champion of the world: Playoff Rocchio!” shouted the soul of Cleveland’s roster in the clubhouse after Brayan Rocchio’s three-run walk-off home run to send the Guardians into the postseason.

What started on social media as a nickname during the 2024 playoff run has evolved into a real phenomenon, and that couldn’t have been more evident as Rocchio might have saved the Cleveland Guardians' season in their 6-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers in Game 2 of the ALDS.

Outside of a George Valera solo shot in the first inning, Cleveland’s offense looked flat against Detroit's pitching again through the first seven innings on Wednesday afternoon. 

The rookie’s home run accounted for just one of two hits nearly the first three times through the order. The other was a CJ Kayfus single in the fifth inning. 

Rocchio changed the course of the game during the top of the eighth, when he broke a one-run tie with a no-doubt-about-it solo home run, deep into the right field stands.

This moon-shot ignited a five-run inning for the Guardians, which also included a Daniel Schneemann RBI double that scored Steven Kwan, and a Bo Naylor three-run home run that sealed the deal for Cleveland.

Sometimes, “Guards Ball” can be scoring multiple runs without getting the ball infield, and sometimes it can be hitting three home runs while strong gusts of wind are blowing in from the shores of Lake Erie.

Cleveland’s offense hasn’t been a juggernaut this season, but it has capitalized on getting the big hits when they’ve mattered the most, and that’s exactly what happened in Game 2.

That said, Rocchio’s game-changing home run was set up by another outstanding performance from a Cleveland starter and its bullpen. The Guardians couldn’t have asked any more from their pitchers on Wednesday. 

Tanner Bibee took the mound to start Game 2, and despite a high pitcher count in his 4.2 innings of work, the right-hander only allowed one earned run and struck out six batters.

Then, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Jakob Junies, and Cade Smith combined to cover the rest 

One thing about playoff baseball is that you never know who’s going to be the hero.

Cleveland’s biggest bats haven’t gotten it going through the first two games of the playoffs. Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo are a combined 2-for-16 so far this series, and Jose Ramirez is simply getting no pitches that are worth swinging at. 

Someone had to step up, and for the Guardians, it was the player who earned himself the nickname Playoff Rocchio.