Taiwanese-American Corbin Carroll on Saturday singled with the bases loaded in the 10th inning and the National League West-leading Arizona Diamondbacks rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2.
Alek Thomas homered to tie it in the eighth, then singled in the tying run in the 10th against David Bednar (3-1).
The infield hit followed a throwing error by Bednar on a bunt and scored automatic runner Dominic Canzone, making his debut in the majors.
Photo: AFP
After Geraldo Perdomo sacrificed, Ketel Marte was intentionally walked, and Carroll lined a single just fair down the right-field line to keep the Diamondbacks in first place in the National League West.
“He’s got an elite fastball,” Carroll said about fellow All-Star Bednar. “I saw the curveball earlier in the count and I put a good swing on it.”
Carroll, whose mother was born in Taiwan, has had to deal with a range of emotions in the past 10 days, from being voted as a starting outfielder in the All-Star Game in his hometown of Seattle, to leaving two games with soreness in his right shoulder that was surgically repaired two years ago, to returning and playing the hero on Saturday.
“There’s a lot going on. I’m trying to stay in the moment,” Carroll said. “My mind’s already on [the next game]. Finish the first half strong. Those things have happened before. It’s fun to be around these guys every day.”
With the win, the Diamondbacks matched their victory total (52) for the entire 2021 season in their 90th game.
Carroll is the first rookie with at least 15 homers and 25 stolen bases before the All-Star break. Carroll, voted into the All-Star Game, has 18 homers and 26 steals.
In California, All-Star Mookie Betts hit his 10th leadoff homer — tying the most in the first half in major league history — and the Los Angeles Dodgers homered five times for the second straight game to beat the slumping Los Angeles Angels 10-5.
“I think Mookie might be the only guy that wants to play through the break,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
The Dodgers head into the All-Star break a season-high 13 games over .500 with a record of 51-38, a half-game behind Arizona.
Betts’ 408-foot solo shot, his 26th of the season, came on the second pitch of the game by Reid Detmers.
Betts tied the mark for first-half homers set by the San Francisco Giants’ Bobby Bonds in 1973. Betts set the Dodgers franchise record. His 46th career leadoff homer tied the Philadelphia Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins for seventh on the career list.
The Angels dropped their season-high fifth straight to fall below .500 at 45-46. It was their 10th consecutive loss in the Freeway Series, the club’s longest-ever skid against the Dodgers.
Elsewhere on Saturday, the Detroit Tigers blanked the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0, the Cincinnati Reds beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-5, the Atlanta Braves dominated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1, the Houston Astros pipped the Seattle Mariners 3-2, the Cleveland Guardians outplayed the Kansas City Royals 10-6 and the New York Yankees defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-3.
The Baltimore Orioles stunned the Minnesota Twins 6-2, the St Louis Cardinals blanked the Chicago White Sox 3-0, the Miami Marlins beat the Phillies 5-3, the Boston Red Sox dominated the Oakland Athletics 10-3, the Giants defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-3, the Washington Nationals bested the Texas Rangers 8-3 and the Sand Diego Padres outplayed the New York Mets 3-1.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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